


The Black Curtain

by Isidora



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, The Arcana (Visual Novel), Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-13
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2020-06-27 15:03:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 26,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19793356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Isidora/pseuds/Isidora
Summary: Elaria came to the city of Vesuvia when she was 17 years old.But, this morning, she woke up in a bed that wasn't hers, in a hut she didn't recognize, on a beach miles away from home. And the face that stared back at her from the mirror was 10 years older.Three strangers greet her and decide to accompany her on her journey to get a decade worth of memories back.





	1. The Beach

**Author's Note:**

> All credits and rights for Witcher characters go to CD Projekt RED and Andrzej Sapkowski.  
> Credits and rights for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - related characters and places go to Bethesda Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks.  
> Credits and rights for characters from The Arcana go to Nix Hydra.
> 
> The creator of OC/MC characters Akila and Eize will be credited at the beginnings of the respected characters' chapters.
> 
> Characters Elaria, Ra'arr-Jo, Sai, and Ilyan are my own OCs, so if you decide to use them for your own works, I'd appreciate it if you'd give me credits, or at least let me know they've become a part of your own narrative.

_Ugh. What time is it? I bet I overslept again._

Eyes still closed, I reach out to my nightstand, but my hand falls through. _What the hell?_

I open my eyes slowly. _This is not my ceiling. And these are not my walls. And this is NOT MY BED! WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?!_

I bolt up, and then I feel it, sharp pain - _everywhere_. My back hurts as if I was carrying logs all day, my stomach feels as if someone has been punching me for the past week, and my arms and my legs - _what in the world_ \- feel like the sky was falling and I was in charge of holding it up. I stir and groan as I put my feet on the floor, wiggling my toes, like I'm making sure they still work.

I get up slowly, steadying myself against a chair nearby, and make my way across the room.

It's a smaller room - but not claustrophobic - a bookshelf full of books on magic and foraging, some wooden figurines, three glass bowls with herbs - lavender, myrrh, and rosemary - and a framed photo of three people. A young girl with long green hair, and two people old enough to be her parents. I look at the corner opposite of the bookshelf and see a desk covered in notebooks. One of them was open, but the handwriting was messy, so I couldn't really make out what it said. Although it seemed like a diary, or a journal, so maybe it wasn't the worst thing I couldn't read it.

The floor creeks under my feet as I make my way to the window. _Beach?_

Sand and ocean stretch for as long my eyes can see. _But Vesuvia doesn't have a beach this big! Where the hell am I?!_

I came to the city of Vesuvia when I was 17 years old, looking for work. A fresh start. Originally, I was from the Empire of Levia, South-West of Vesuvia, but a lot of things happened there that made me leave it behind, and start my life elsewhere. I left Levia when I was 13, and for the next four years I traveled across the whole empire, before deciding to cross the border. I spent a few months in the pirate city Nevivon, learning the art of theft - _You never know when ye'r gonna need it, lass! -_ before heading to Vesuvia. I remember getting there, asking for directions...

"Someone pointed me to the market, I bumped into someone... And woke up here." I'm talking to myself again. "But where is _here_?"

"Oh you're just outside of the Elsweyr capitol!" A joyful, chirpy voice makes me spin around.

The green-haired girl from the photo is staring at me. She looks just like in the photo, only a bit taller, and her hair is now shoulder-length. I suppose the photograph is a few years old. Her eyes are different colors - one brown, one golden - face decorated with light freckles, and her warm smile brightening the room.

"Sorry! Didn't mean to scare you." she says, taking a tentative step towards me. "It's good to see you're up. You've been out of it for a while. Gave us quite the scare."

"Us?" My eyes fly to the photo for a second. She catches it.

"Oh no, those are my parents. They, uh... They're not around." She sighs sadly, and I bite my tongue to avoid asking what she meant by that, because I _just know_. "My friend, Akila, and I found you washed up at the beach, few miles down that way, a couple of weeks ago. We brought you here, patched you up and all. We were wondering when you'd wake up."

"But... How did I get here?"

She shrugs, looking away. "I don't know. There was no one with you."

Silence descends onto the room. I shift uncomfortably on my feet, like I'm trying to find a way out of the room. She looks at me and exclaims, "My manners! You're probably even more confused... My name is Eize. What's yours?"

"Umm, Elaria. Nice to meet you."

She reaches out excitedly to shake my hand. Her hands are warm, and her skin smooth, despite calloused knuckles. I also notice a few scars, but refrain myself from asking questions.

"Likewise!" She grins. "Anyway, if you want to freshen up before dinner, the bathroom is over there, just across the hall. White towels are Akila's, mine are orange, but you can use whichever you want!"

"Thank you, Eize," I smile at her and realize that I like her. Her presence is soothing, comforting, and the hints of panic I was feeling before she walked in were completely gone.

She walks behind me as I head to the bathroom, just as the front door down the hall opens. "Akila! Akila! Our guest is up, she'll be joining us for dinner!" Eize beams at me as she exclaims.

A deeper, yet melodic, voice echoes back, "Hey, that's great. I'll set up an extra plate."

I walk into the bathroom, leaving the door slightly ajar. I reach the sink to splash my face, and nearly collapse when I see my reflection. I don't know what kind of noise I made, but Eize slammed the door open, magic crackling around one of her hands, ready to fight. "Elaria! Elaria! What is it?!"

Hot tears gathered in my eyes as I reach out to touch my face. _No no no no no! This can't be happening, this can't be real!_

"My face..." I try to speak through sobs. Eize reaches out to grab my shoulders, "Elaria, what is it? What about your face?"

"What's going on?," I hear another voice at the door. I turn to see a tall, muscular, young man standing there. His skin is nicely tanned, his hair long and dark blond. His blueish-gray eyes stare at me with worry.

"I was 17 years old when I came to Vesuvia," I somehow manage to sob it out, as a ten years older face stares back at me from the mirror.

* * *


	2. A Witcher (not) to be

Eize crouches in the bushes, her chest barely rising to show she's still breathing. Her hand tightens around the bow. " _Where. Are. You."_ She's getting impatient. Something rustles in the bush nearby and she leaps out. A large, brown figure halts abruptly, taking a split second to scan its surroundings before darting away before she even manages to lift her bow.

"Son of a b-" She fires an arrow after the deer, to no avail; the arrow flies through the bushes effortlessly. "You piece of sh-"

"Eize!" My voice rings around us.

She looks at her feet sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Elaria, I ruined it, didn't I? I made it impossible to hunt it down."

"Not impossible, no. You made it _challenging_." I look up at the trees to see the storm clouds rolling in. "Come on, let's get back to Akila before the storm traps us here. We'll get the deer tomorrow."

"Yeah! And this time, I'll _actually_ listen to your advice," she chirps. I just smile and tap her on the shoulder.

We walk back to where we lowered our belongings, along with a few dead pheasants, quails, and squirrels. We put everything in a basket and then each grab onto a handle.

"Ready? One, two, three!" Her voice echoes. "This is fun! Thank you for agreeing to teach me to hunt. Akila taught me how to fish, but I figured if we're gonna be traveling across the world, might as well pick up a few more skills."

"Hah. You're welcome. I'm happy to share what I know with you." My answer comes out a bit halfheartedly, and I'm not sure if she picked up on it.

My mind goes back to one of my hunting lesson.

* * *

"Steady your breathing," he whispers into my ear. "It's just you and him here. No me, no trees, no waterfall."

"Just him and I," I whisper. I close my eyes for a second, and when I open them - my arrow flies. Straight into the elk's eye. The animal lets out a wail, moves left-to-right, and then collapses with a _thud_.

"Well done," he says, with a hint of pride in his voice.

I look at him gratefully. His shoulder-length silver hair and his yellow, snake-like eyes seem to be glowing in the sunlight. "What?"

"Hah, nothing," I stutter. "It's still unusual to me. Your eyes."

"Your eyes are unusual too," he laughs.

"Geralt, mine are green and blue, you have snake eyes."

He continues laughing as he makes his way to the elk. He pulls my arrow out, wipes it on his sleeve, and hands it back to me. "Come on, Ciri is waiting."

_Ugh. Ciri._

I met Geralt, the witcher of Rivia, when I was 14. _Or was I 15? Ah, who cares._ I was traveling through the Northern Kingdoms, right in the middle of a war, and some people got the wrong idea when they saw me use my magic to start a fire. They chased me through the woods, and for a moment, I honestly did think they'd kill me. But then I ran into Geralt. Literally. I _slammed_ into him so hard that I actually bounced back and landed on my butt. I heard my pursuers skid to a halt, just as his eyes shifted from me to them.

"One, two... Five, _SEVEN_ of you against _ONE_ unarmed girl," he sneered at them. "You sure there're enough of you? Might wanna call for back-up, just in case."

"Stand down, _witcher_." One of them spat at the last word. "This ain't about your kind, we just want the witch. You best be on your way."

"See, that's where you're wrong." He takes a step forward, and I'm not even sure he sees me kneeling next to him anymore. He unsheathes his sword. "She's a witch, and I'm a witcher, which makes her _my kind_."

One of them charges at him, but he's faster. He spins deftly around the attacker, knocks the knife out of his hand, and kicks him in the butt, sending him face first to the ground. He turns to the rest of them, and they take that as an invitation. Two of them charge at him on his right, but he somehow manages to clunk their heads together, making them drop their weapons and stumble to the ground. _Four left._ One swings at him from behind, but he ducks, spins, and kicks the man in the chest, sending him flying into the bushes. Next one throws his axe, but Geralt blocks it with his sword. The man rushes at Geralt, attempting to tackle him, but Geralt swivels around him and the hilt of his sword connects with the man's head, leaving him unconscious. He sighs in a bored fashion before turning to the remaining two men.

"I did tell you to call for back-up," he says.

The two men look at him with fear in his eyes.

"You close to pissing your pants, yet?" he teases. "How about this? You get your buddies here, and you get the hell out of my sight before I change my mind about letting you live."

They scramble to get their friends before he even finished the sentence. He chuckles, sheathing his sword. "Oh, and don't let me catch you harassing teenage girls ever again," he adds threateningly.

After they'd all left, he turns to me, scanning me with his eyes.

"Thank you," I manage to mumble.

"You're welcome. Wanna tell me why they were after you?"

"I didn't do anything! I swear! I'm cold, and I used magic to light a fire, and they came across me, and then they -"

He raises his hand. "You can use magic?"

For a split second I'm worried he'll attack me for it. He sees it on my face. A warm smile spreads across his as he kneels in front of me.

"I'm not gonna hurt you. I have a couple of friends, great sorceresses, both of them, who could train you. If you're interested."

And for the next two years or so, I lived and traveled across the country with Geralt, the witcher of Rivia. His two friends, Yennefer and Tris, were, indeed, great sorceresses, and they taught me a lot. I had some magical training when I was a child, and I mostly excelled in fire spells - school of destruction in particular - so Yenn and Tris thought it'd be best if I focused on that first, and then just build on that. Geralt taught me how to hunt, how to find and recognize fresh tracks on the ground, how to skin an animal, and how to make healing herbal mixtures. I thought my life was going back to normal. I thought all the tragedies in the past were finally paying off, that I'd finally gotten my new, fresh start. That maybe I had a chance at a (somewhat) normal life. A family.

But then _she_ came along.

For a while, Geralt was talking about training me to become a witcher myself - and that wasn't something anyone would do. Apparently, only men could be witchers. But he thought I had potential, and Yenn and Tris, and some of their other witcher friends agreed, so it became something I was really looking forward to. But after Ciri showed up, with her ashen hair and yellow eyes, he decided to end my training before it even started. One day, she accidentally opened a portal to another realm, launching me in it. Time went by differently there, so what was an hour for them, was a whole month for me. It took them six hours to find me and get me back. And then they proceeded to joke and laugh about it. He found it amazing that she could cross worlds like that.

I couldn't open a portal, so instead, he chose to train Ciri to become the first female witcher. And I wouldn't exactly have a problem with that, had he even bothered training me at all, in any field. On rare occasions he'd take me hunting, and that was only because she didn't care for it. But when it came to spells, sword fights, or physical combat, I was pretty much on my own.

Thoughts of leaving started circling in my mind, but I kept hoping he'd still change his mind and continue my training. But he never did. The last straw was when they "forgot" I was making dinner. We set up camp, and I started preparing some vegetables, along with the rabbits I hunted down earlier that day, and Ciri said she'd go fetch some firewood. After about twenty minutes, Geralt got up to go after her, since he got worried something happened. He told me to stay alert, and to run if I feel something's off.

Five hours later, they stumble back into our camp, completely drunk. Laughing. They sit down around the now-already-put-out-fire, and they start singing. I march out of the tent, and fling a bottle at Geralt. It connects with his head, shattering. Ciri jumps up as he yells out, "What the fuck do you think you're doing, kid?"

"What the fuck do _YOU_ think _YOU'RE_ doing, old man?!" My voice doesn't sound like my own. "Is _this_ -" I gesture between them. "-how you get fucking firewood for dinner?!"

"Eli, we forgot," Ciri chimes in.

"You _forgot_?!" I yell out, and my temples start pulsing. Ciri flinches and her hand goes to her head for a second.

"Calm down, what the hell," she replies, "It's just dinner."

"How about you SHUT.THE FUCK.UP!"

She grabs at her throat, eyes wide in panic. Geralt gets up from his seat, blood trickling from the wound on his head. "Eli, listen, we came across some people who needed help, and to thank us, they invited us to their campsite for drinks..."

"And heavens forbid you let _me_ know, coz why the fuck would you, right? Screw me, just waiting here, about to make dinner for the two of you, right, you had no fucking reason to think of me for even a SPLIT.FUCKING.SECOND!"

My head feels like it's about to crack open. The anger, the hurt, the feeling of betrayal - all of it is threatening to boil over. There's a gasp from Ciri's side as she struggles to regain her voice.

"How did you do that?" I turn to Geralt to see him take a tentative step towards Ciri. He's eyeing me carefully, hands slowly rising. He's not reaching for a weapon or anything, it's just to reassure me he means no harm. "Yenn and Tris taught you that?"

"No. No one taught me anything in a while." A hint of regret crosses his face as he realizes what I meant by that.

"Eli, look-" I cut him off, "Only my friends call me Eli. And neither of you are my friends."

I turn back to my tent, grabbing my belongings as quickly as I can. My mind is racing, I can't think of anything clearly, it's as if my mind is enveloped in smoke. When I get back out, Ciri is sitting on a log, tears streaming down her face, but no sound escaping her lips. Geralt is kneeling in front of her, trying to calm her down. She looks at me pleadingly as he rises.

"Eli... Elaria, please. Don't leave."

"Geralt, don't pretend you care all of sudden. You only want me to stick around coz you want me to give her her voice back. You don't give a shit about me. You never did."

"That's not true, kid, you know that. You're my first pupil, of course I cared. I still do."

"SO WHY THE FUCK WON'T YOU TRAIN ME ANYMORE?! Huh, Geralt, why did I become invisible since she showed up? You won't practice fighting with me anymore, I'm on my own for warding, potions, archery... I wonder how long it would take you to notice I was gone."

He just looks at me. Ciri is still quietly crying. I don't think she realized how bad things were for me. I don't think he noticed either. And the worst thing is, it was painfully obvious.

"I outrank her when it comes to physical abilities, you know that, _YOU_ made sure of that. Yenn and Tris trained me to be better, stronger, than both of them. So I know that _she_ -" I point at Ciri, "-is not better than me. So _what_ is it then? Is it the portal thing? Literally the only thing she can do that I can't is open a fucking portal, Geralt. Is that why you tossed me aside? Or is it coz my hair and eyes aren't the right color?"

"Eli-"

"ELARIA!" My voice echoes in the early morning hours. It's almost dawn.

"That's enough! I've had it with your tantrum!" He yells back. "Give her back her voice, and get back in your tent! We'll talk tomorrow when you've calmed down."

"You can't order me around, you're not my parent."

"You don't have parents, they were all killed! I just took pity on you!"

The split second of silence after that is deafening. His eyes widen when he realizes what he'd said. Ciri stands up and I briefly see her lift her hands up, silver magic glistening around them. She's preparing a protection spell. Geralt takes a step back, just as red flashes before my eyes and my vision blurs. My head is throbbing, the smoke in my mind is getting hotter and hotter, and I feel my hands shake. I look at them as my breathing gets quicker, and I see that my veins are glowing red now.

My vision starts to clear slowly, and the next thing I know, I'm kneeling above Geralt, his face bloody, and covered in bruises, both of his swords cast somewhere aside. I'm clutching at his collar with one hand, the other one hovering in the air, curled in a fiery fist. He's barely conscious, his arms limp on his sides. He lifts one arm towards me, and whispers, "...came back."

I look to where Ciri was standing and I see her hovering a few feet above ground, flames in the form of thin tendrils wrapped around her body. Her face is distorted in a painful expression, her mouth open, but no sound coming out still. I drop Geralt's collar and I stand up, Ciri collapsing to the ground as the tendrils around her body dissipate. "Geralt," she coughs out, "Geralt, get up. Geralt, what is she?" She crawls on all fours towards him. He gets into a semi-sitting position, rubbing his face where I hit him.

I turn around and notice that the tents, supplies, grass, trees - everything in a 50ft radius - were completely burnt down.

_There's no staying after this._

"I hope you both live long, healthy, miserable lives." I say as I take my first steps away from them.

"Elaria, Elaria, wait..." Geralt calls out.

But I just keep walking.


	3. Unexpectedly one of us

"Breathe, breathe, that's it," he takes a deep breath along with me, "iiiiiin, and out." He exhales, all the while rubbing my back gently.

Eize is crouching in front of me, holding my shaking hands. "Elaria, I'm so sorry," her voice is like a whisper.

"You calmed down?" After I nod, I feel his hands on my shoulders, slowly tugging me to stand from the side of the tub. "Ok, now slowly, take a look again. Eize and I are right here."

I glance at him and he shoots me a wink, "You've got this."

I approach the mirror slowly, my eyes closed the entire time, and when I open them -

"No, no," he says gently as my legs carry me back into him. "I told you, we are right here, right by your side." His hands guide me to the mirror again, the mirror that shows a much older me.

Last I can remember, my hair was short and brown, my left eye blue, right one green. My face was rounder, and the bags under my eyes weren't this visible. Now, my hair was long and dark, almost black; my eyes were still the same colors, only the left was a few shades darker, with the sclera of my eye dark shade of pink. My face was more slender, elongated, and paler than before. I looked so tired. So sick.

"What the hell happened to me?"

The room is silent for a long moment before he speaks, "Well, how about this? You take a bath, refresh a bit, and Eize and I will make dinner. We can talk more about this a bit later."

I start to shake my head, but he continues, "You have to eat."

"Maybe it will be easier for you to remember what happened if you get some nourishment," Eize chimes in.

My eyes start to burn with tears, "Why are you doing this? I'm no one to you."

They look at each other for a second before Eize speaks, "Akila saved my life before he even knew my name. I was no one to him."

"And now we're family," he adds. "Sometimes, helping out is the right thing - the only thing - to do, even if a person is a complete stranger to you."

He smiles at me, then shifts slightly uncomfortably. "If you need help, Eize can help you take your armor off. I won't impose, I'll be in the kitchen."

_My armor?_ I look down and, surely enough, I'm wearing an armor. A thick, leather armor, with several knife holsters placed on it strategically. Some bits of it were stained with dirt and dried blood ( _mine?_ ) and my collar was torn on the side, like someone ( _something?_ ) grabbed me as I was running from it.

Eize clears her throat. "Do you... Want.. Help?"

"Ummm," _Do i?_ "Sure, that would be nice. I'm not exactly sure how to get this thing off."

She just nods. She tentatively reaches out to grab one of the knife holsters on the side. I start undoing the belts on my mid-section ( _Seriously, who needs THIS many belts?_ ). Parts of the armor come undone on the floor, until I'm only in an undershirt and the pants. "Ok, I think you can finish this on your own," Eize says, but her words pass right through me.

In the mirror, I see myself for the first time in... A decade. My chest, arms, and shoulders are bruised, there are some scars several years old, judging by how much they've healed, some burn marks... But what got my attention is the long, red, _fresh_ scar that almost makes a full circle around my neck.

* * *

_Come ooonnnn, think! Remember! It's all here, in your head, a whole decade can't have gone missing just like that. You had to have been alive, how else would you be here? So, it has to be in there somewhere. Find. It. FIND IT!!  
_

I gasp for air, resurfacing from the tub. The water around me had started getting cold some time ago, but I didn't care.

"Elaria?" There's a knock on the door. "Is everything ok?"

"Uuhh, yes, Eize, I'm fine. Sorry. Just gave myself a headache."

"Ok, well, don't think too hard. Dinner will be on the table in a few minutes, so feel free to join us."

"I'll be right out, thank you."

"There's some clean clothes in the cabinet under the sink. You can have one of my shirts, but for the pants, take one of Akila's, I don't think mine would fit you."

Her voice gets quiet as she walks down the hall towards the kitchen.

I get out of the tub and reach for one of the towels. I dry myself, avoiding the mirror the whole time. _I can't deal with you right now._ I open the cabinet Eize mentioned and I see several shirts and pairs of pants; I pick the two from the top. _As soon as I figure out what's happening, I'll pay you both back for this._ I give myself a few light slaps on the cheeks. _Alright. Let's do this._

Akila and Eize's voices are echoing through the hut as I make my way towards them. They're discussing their trip to the market tomorrow when I reach the kitchen. I gently knock on the door frame. "Hi."

Eize is by the sink, filling a pitcher with water, while Akila is putting down a tray of smoked fish on the table. He glances up, and a sly smile lands on his face. "Well, my clothes have never looked better."

My hands immediately go to the rims of the shirt I thought was Eize's. "Oh, um... I thought it was... Sorry, I'll take it off..."

"As much as I'd just _love_ to see that," he winks, "how about we have dinner first?"

A ball of water smacks him in the face. "Hey!" he coughs and laughs.

"I told you, settle down," Eize jokingly scolds him. "Don't mind him, he's all bark and no bite."

"Unless you're into that," he winks again.

 _SPLASH!_ A shimmering, blue light shines from Eize's hand. "Expect that every time you get inappropriate."

He just laughs, wiping his face. "Please," he pulls out a chair, "have a seat."

Eize pours water into each glass, then takes a seat across from me. She smiles warmly as Akila piles food on my plate.

"No, please, that's too much..."

"Don't be ridiculous," he cuts me off, "you've been comatose for about two weeks, you need sustenance."

"He's right, you need your strength."

"Today is a glorious day, Eize has admitted I was right about something. I need to remember the date!"

Eize laughs and throws a piece of cucumber at him. They start teasing each other, and the more I watch them, the more relaxed I feel. _They are good people._ I don't think it only because they helped me. I _feel_ it in their auras. Eize's is light green, with golden streaks, pure, energetic. Akila's is silver, and a little bit cold, but in a cool, calming way. There isn't a speck of anything bad in them.

"Like what you see?" Akila's voice snaps me back and I realize I've been staring at him.

"No, I..."

"Miss, you wound me," he says in a fake crying voice, dramatically putting his hands to his chest.

I have this strange feeling I've lived through this moment already, but before I can figure it out - it's gone.

We start eating, and the fish is good - really good - I didn't realize how hungry I was.

"Dis.. weavy good," I say with my mouth full and Akila grins at me proudly. "Well, thank you! I'm glad you like it." It's not a flirty smile, but a genuine, happy smile.

"How long have you lived here?" I ask hesitantly, but they think nothing of it. Eize responds without missing a beat, "Hmmm 6? Maybe 7 months? Time kind of blends here. We've been traveling for a while with another friend - Sai, you might meet him eventually - but then he went on a pirating adventure to Black Marsh, so we're just waiting for him to come back so we can continue."

"Are you going anywhere in particular?"

"Not really, but we were thinking of going somewhere a bit colder," Akila says, "Elsweyr is beautiful, but it can get too hot sometimes."

We lapse into a comfortable silence for a few moments. "You don't have to answer this," Akila breaks it, "but you said you're missing whole ten years of memories. Can you tell us what's the last thing you remember?"

I'm silent for a bit before speaking, "It's kind of long story, and please don't ask me to tell it to you yet... But I had to leave my home, and, like you, I was traveling around. I made it all the way to Vesuvia. And someone pointed me to their market place, and when I got there, I bumped into someone, and..."

"And?" Eize nods, urging me to continue.

"And that's where it cuts off," I say. "I turn around to see who it was... But it's all blank. And my head starts to hurt so badly, I can't..."

"Hey, hey, don't overdo it," Akila says warmly. He looks at Eize for a long minute, and I get the impression they're having a whole conversation with just their eyes. He turns back to me, "It's settled. You'll stay with us here until Sai gets back, and then," he reaches for my hand, "we're going to help you get your memories back."

His hand is warm on mine, and the way both him and Eize look at me in that moment makes me overwhelmed. "Why?" Tears are hot in my eyes, "Why are you doing this for me?"

Eize walks around the table to wrap her arms around my shoulders. "When we found you, your aura was insane, for real, I've never felt something that powerful in my life. We don't know what happened to you, or who hurt you, or how you ended up on that beach, but you ended up there for a reason."

"You're one of us. Unexpectedly, but you are." I look to Akila from her, as his thumb runs a warm circle on my hand, "Your aura did something to ours, in a good way. Our powers have somehow gotten stronger, but not erratic. And the room somehow gets warm when you walk in. Or maybe that's just how my heart reacts to you." _Wink._

_SPLASH!!_

"Oh, come on!"

The night ends with laughter.


	4. Reel it in

"You got it? Ok, good, now pull back, like that," Akila's right hand rests on my wrist while his left one is raised above my head, "and now lean forward," his hand goes to my back to gently push me, "and let go."

I do as he says, and the fishing line goes soaring high, dropping into the water a long way ahead of us. "Woo hoo, well done!" He lifts his hand for a high-five, "See, that wasn't that hard."

"Yeah, well, thanks for showing me."

"Any time," he says as he throws his fishing line into the water. "Have you ever done this before?"

"Not that I remember," I say, briefly going through the memories I still have access to. "Where I'm from... We were landlocked, everyone was either a hunter or a lumberjack. Sometimes both, if you needed more money."

He nods, his eyes on water. "Let's sit in the shade, by those trees. This could take a while."

We set up a fishing net nearby as well, and once we made sure our fishing lines and poles were secured, we head for the nearby palm trees. It's early in the morning, sun barely up, and yet it's so hot. Akila and Eize mentioned it gets hotter in Elsweyr.

I've been with them for about two weeks now, and they've gone above and beyond to accommodate and help me. Eize has been telling me stories of their travels, in hopes that something will trigger my memories, and in return she asked that I go hunting with her in the scarce Elsweyr woods. Akila, on the other hand, chose to teach me how to fish. We'd also occasionally practice some spells. Being a fire carrier, air is my secondary element - which is Akila's primary. So my powers would react to him being nearby, and vice versa. I was teaching him some basic fire spells, mostly for self-defense, should he ever need it. It was interesting to me to watch him make random objects levitate, especially if he wanted something but didn't want to get up to get it. "I enjoy making things float," he'd say, "and one day, I'm going to fly. That has been my dream ever since I was a child." Eize would sometimes accompany us, but this morning when Akila went to get her, she just grunted "Sleepy sleepy" before turning to the other side with a snore. So it was just the two of us today.

He drops onto the sand next to me. "If you want a coconut, just say the word, and I'll get it for you."

"What, you'll climb the tree?"

"I was going to use my magic, but hey, if you want me to climb, I'll climb," he starts to get up but I grab his hand to pull him back down.The empty beach echoes with his laughter. After a few minutes of silence, he clears his throat. "Can I ask you something?"

I nod. "You don't have to answer it, and I don't want to make you feel embarrassed or anything, but... Sometimes I catch you staring at me, not in a bad way, no, more like you're trying to recognize me from somewhere. So, I was wondering why - actually, _what_ is it that makes you do that?"

"I-," words die in my throat. What do I tell him? I know I stare at him. And he is right, in a way, it is like I'm trying to figure out where I know him from, but I'm so sure we've never met before. "I don't know."

We lapse into silence again, only the sound of waves surrounding us. He doesn't ask anything else, instead he focuses his eyes onto the fishing lines.

"When I woke up," I start, and his eyes lock onto mine again, "you were pretending to be hurt by something I said, you said "miss, you wound me" theatrically... Well, at that moment, I felt as if I've lived through that moment before. Not necessarily with you, but the way you said it, I thought maybe there was a connection. And I guess that's why I stare... Maybe you do or say something else that would make me remember..."

He nods and his face softens a bit. "Well hey, if anything, I can keep things interesting! If it happens again, just let me know, and we'll reel in that memory."

"Reel it in?"

He laughs at my confused tone, "Yeah, like fishing. Throw the line in, and wait for something to get hooked, and when it does..."

He gets up and runs towards the water where one of the fishing poles has begun to twitch. I follow him as he grabs it and pulls back, all until he pulls out a fish the size of his arm. "...You reel it in," he says with a smile on his face.

On the horizon behind him, sun starts coming up, coloring the dark sky with vibrant orange and pink shades. As Akila is still grinning at his fish, the sun makes it look like he has a halo around his head. He looks at me, and his smile changes. It's still warm, but not triumphant over a good catch, no - there's something else. He drops the fish back into the water, not caring that it's escaping, and takes a step towards me.

"You look..." He stands right in front of me as the sun comes out, "The way the sun reflects in your eyes, you're just..."

"What?" The word leaves my mouth in a short breath. He takes another step towards me, his hands moving to my face. He's so close, I can see myself in his eyes. My hands go to rest on his wrists, just as he leans in, and then...

"Hey! You two left without...me..." Eize bursts out from around the trees where we were sitting not so long ago, and in panic, Akila lets go of my face, gently pushing me away, but my foot gets tangled in the fishing net and I fall backwards, just as a small wave hits the shore, completely enveloping me.

My mind flashes, and in those few seconds, an image pops into my head.

I'm standing in the bird's nest of a pirate ship, not far from the coast of Nevivon, the rest of the crew running up and down the deck, fighting the wind and rain. I channel my powers to form a shield around the ship, to at least prevent it from sinking, but I'm not fast enough. A lightning strikes the beam where the nest is and I start to topple over the ledge. I grab one of the ropes in order to steady myself, to no use. I fall down onto the deck rail, breaking it in pieces, and then I'm in the the freezing water. At first I'm disoriented, unable to determine which way the current is going, but then I notice the shadow of the ship somewhere above me. But I can't catch up, my chest is burning from the lack of oxygen, and my limbs are cramping from the cold water. The fire in me is not helping. _I'm going to drown._ That's all I could think of.

Suddenly, my hand grabs onto something, and before I can figure out what, I'm being pulled out of the water. _Fishing net._

"Good thing I saw where you landed, darlin', otherwise, who knows what your fate would've been like," someone shouts over the wind as I climb back on board over the rail. I look up and see a tall, slender man. His messy, auburn hair is all over the place due to wind.

"Thank you, Julian."

"Now, now, my dear, you needn't thank me. You protected the rest of us with that fancy spell of yours, and we'll dock in Nevivon in less than an hour, despite the storm."

I look at the port city in the distance, barely visible through the rain. _Almost there, then we can collect the bounty._

"Although," Julian starts, walking towards me with a sly smile, "if you really want to _thank_ me..."

He taps his lips and his eyebrows wiggle up and down. "Hah!," I scoff, "I don't think so."

He playfully clutches at his heart, his voice mimicking crying, lips trembling and all, " _Miss, you wound me._ "

I gasp as the wave pulls back, Akila helping me get up, Eize running towards us.

"Oh my... Are you ok?"

"Elaria, I'm sorry," Akila says, "I shouldn't have pushed you that hard."

"Akila, I did it!" He cocks his head to the side at my exclamation, Eize looking between us in confusion, "You did what, Elaria?"

I squeeze his hand as I say, "I reeled it in!"


	5. The Smoking Pegasus

"I can't believe you're a PIRATE!" Eize exclaims while we prepare fish and some vegetables for a stew. "Sai is going to lose his mind when he finds out!"

"Eize, I wouldn't say I'm a pirate, I think I was just hired to go with them coz I could cast a few spells," I try to explain, but she interrupts.

"If you're a part of a pirate's crew - _even temporarily_ \- that, by definition, makes you a pirate."

The grin she's wearing makes it hard to protest. _And it does sound sort of awesome. Me. A pirate. Of all things._

"You mentioned this friend of yours a few times now. Any idea when he's coming back?"

"Sai? Hmmm..." she takes a few seconds to think. "I'm not sure. Black Marsh isn't that far, it's right across the border, but they maybe had more business than they thought they'd have."

She looks up from her potatoes, "I know you're in a hurry to leave and start looking for a way to get your life and your memories back, but... We can't leave without-"

"I know, I know," I reach over to pat her hand reassuringly, "I'm not asking you to leave your friend behind, that would be inconsiderate of me. And rude."

She smiles, although it fades after my words, "But if he doesn't come back soon, Eize, _I_ have to leave. I know you and Akila offered to accompany me, and I am so very grateful for that, but-"

"I know, Elaria, I understand. You don't have to justify yourself to me."

We laps into silence for a bit, the only sound in the room our knives gliding through fish and potatoes.

"I don't mean to pry..." _But you will._ "But, what's going on between you and Akila?"

I drop my potato and I watch it in shock as it rolls out on the floor. "Shit." I scramble around the kitchen to get it, then proceed to the bucket of water to wash it off, all the while feeling Eize's eyes burning into the back of my skull. I sit back at the table, and she gives me a few more seconds of silence before continuing. "Don't try to deny it, I see it every time you two look at each other."

"Eize..."

"No, no, don't get me wrong, I don't mind, it's just... Your auras are all over the place, you react to each other."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure how to explain it. It's like... When you're in the same room, and especially if you're standing next to each other, it's like your aura is extending to reach his, and vice versa, like you're drawing energy from him and he from you," she looks at me apologetically, "It probably sounds silly..."

"No, Eize, it doesn't."

"So, there is something?"

"I... I'm not sure." Words die in my throat. "When I'm around him, I feel... Calm. Like there isn't a single thing in the world I should be worrying about. My magic flows in a steady, even rhythm, there's a soft buzzing in the back of my mind, and it's all just... So peaceful. And I don't know how to explain it."

I look at her when I'm done talking and notice a huge smile spreading across her face. "What?"

"Did Akila tell you to say something like that?"

"No, we never really talked about this. Why?"

"Because, while you were out, he used those _exact_ words to describe what happened on the beach when we found you.

My brow furrows as I put everything down. "What happened on the beach?"

"We were just done fishing for the day, getting ready to take everything to the market, to our vendor, like we usually do, but then we felt a really strong pull - magical pull - from the water. There was... Smoke, I guess, and I know it sounds weird - _smoke on the water_ \- but it really was! Barely there, few thin, dark tendrils of smoke, faintly purple light, and then..."

She trails off, averting her eyes from mine. "And then... What?"

"And then you surfaced from the water, gasping for air, like your life depended on it, which, now looking back at it, it totally did."

I sit back, letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding, as she continues. "Akila handed me his string of fish and ran towards you, getting to you just before you collapsed. You clutched at your neck, trying to say something, but no words came out. He asked what happened to you, but you just blinked at him before passing out. So, he picked you up, and carried you back here. I ran to the market to drop off the fish, the ran even faster back here." She takes a sip of water. "When I came back, Akila was applying some herbal paste to his hands, said your clothes burned him," she chuckles a bit. "When he put you down on that bed, he tried to remove your armor to see how bad your wounds were, but the clips on your jacket would burn bright red when he tried, as if to protect you, so he thought it would be best to leave you like that for the time being."

"You just lay there for about ten days. We couldn't feed you or anything, so I found a spell that would maintain your vital signs and stamina, so you wouldn't starve to death. Akila stayed up all night next to you for the first few nights. He kept saying it was precaution, because we had no idea who you were, where you came from, and all that... But after me nagging him for days, he said that he can't be too far from you. Apparently, while he was carrying you, he felt your aura sort of _merging_ with his, and now if he tries to leave or something, he feels weak and exhausted. He wasn't getting any sleep in his room, but when he stayed with you - even with no sleep - he was all good and refreshed in the morning."

All this had started to make me dizzy. I got up and started pacing around the room, "But... He's not here now, I don't understand... What, how?"

"He did some tests over a few days. He'd try and see how far he'd get without feeling weakened, and somehow, each day he could go a bit farther. I guess your auras needed some time to stabilize and adjust to each other."

I turn to her, "So now what, he's ok while I'm here, but if I leave he dies?"

"I'm not sure that's how it works, maybe talk to him about this when he comes back from the market..." She trails off for a second. "But, when he stabilized, he said that his aura feels stronger now, and that his magic flows like a river - steady, even pace - and he also mentioned the buzzing in the back of his mind, like some kind of alarm? If it's quiet and steady, all's well, if it gets erratic, danger's ahead. And even I felt something similar, like I got more energy in me all of a sudden, and our auras haven't even merged!"

She stands up and walks over to me, "Akila will accompany you, I'm sure of that. And I will too! All I'm asking is a bit more time, Sai really should be coming back one of these days." She puts her hands on my shoulders, and smirks before saying, "But I wasn't exactly meaning this when I asked about the two of you. I know what I interrupted there..."

Before I could reply, front door opens and Akila walks in, carrying a basket full of sweet apples for Eize.

"You're back!" Eize exclaims, taking a subtle step away from me.

"Yep, aaaand I brought someone," he says and takes a step to the side, revealing a tall, slender but muscular, dark-haired man.

Eize lets out a shriek and jumps into the other man's arms. "You're baaaaaaaaaaaack!!!"

The man laughs as his arms wrap around Eize, lifting her up and spinning her around, "Hahah yes, I'm back, Eize, but I'd very much like to put my luggage down, if you don't mind."

While they're still greeting, I look at Akila. _I need to talk to you._ I think about that really hard and his eyes widen ever so slightly before I hear him in my mind. _Later, when they're asleep._

I nod slightly, just as the young man turns to me. "You must be Elaria."

"Yes, and you must be Sai," I say as we shake hands. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"Likewise. I've been here thirty minutes or so, and Akila has already chewed my ear off about you." His voice is nice and melodic, his foreign accent making his words sound exotic.

"All lies, Elaria, don't listen to him," Akila says with a faint blush on his face. "Sai, get ready , we'll go to that tavern you like, they should have your favorite plum rolls out as soon as they learn you're back in town."

"EXCUSE ME but Elaria and I didn't prepare everything for a stew just so you could eat out!"

Eize's words make Akila take in the room for the first time since he'd walked in. Luckily, Sai jumps in, "How about this- we eat here, because you two did prepare all this, and then AFTER dinner, we go for a pint? After all, if we're all to embark on this journey, we should at least discuss it. And Elaria and I should get to know each other a bit. You two have had enough time."

Akila and Eiza agree, and so the three of us proceed to make dinner, while Sai heads to his room.

* * *

"Ok, what about this?" Eize holds up a dark green dress, knee-length, but backless.

"Eize..."

"No, no! I know what you're gonna say." She goes through the pile of clothes on the floor, pulling out a short-sleeved black vest. "Ok we'll pair it up with this. That way it's still sort of fancy, but you're not as exposed." He face beams, as my falls.

"Eize. My body is _covered_ in scars. My legs, arms... My _neck_. No matter what I wear, people will stare. Like they do when we go to the market." I've been to the market with Akila and Eize a few times, and every time I had to fight the urge to tell people to fuck off for staring at me too much. So I asked if I could stay in the hut, or outside the city gates while they handle business there. Eize compromised by getting me a hooded cloak.

She smacks her forehead, "Gah of course! So sorry!" She goes through the pile again, throwing pieces of clothing all over the room, while I try to gather them all back. "AHA! THIS!"

She pushes me towards a mirror, placing a pair of green leather pants and a black turtleneck tunic in front of me. "Mmmm yes yes, definitely this. Go, put it on."

She pushes me behind the wardrobe partition before I could protest. "Do you mind if I change here?"

"Umm no, go for it." _Can't exactly kick you out, can I?_ "Why do we have to dress up again? I thought we're going to a tavern."

"We're going to _The Smoking Pegasus_. It's sort of upscale, the local highborns have been known to venture there occasionally, so the patrons tend to dress up. And even if no one shows up, everyone's in good spirits coz they look _dashing_." She bursts into giggles at the last word.

I step out from behind the partition and Eize gasps. "Elaria... Holy hell!"

I immediately become self aware, "Eize, maybe I should stay here..."

"NO!" She grabs my hands, "Elaria, no, Akila would straight up kill me... You look amazing!"

She gently pulls me to the mirror. "Just look."

Green suede pants I'm wearing make my legs seem longer, gripping my thighs tightly, and hanging bit looser around the ankles. The tunic is perfect. Black, linen, long-sleeved turtleneck with a thin lacy pattern on the collar and the end of the sleeve. It was soft and comfortable, and most importantly, it was covering all of my scars.

"Then you have to wear these boots. They match." Eize drops a pair of thigh-high black leather boots next to my feet. "And your cloak, and you're set to go!"

She stands behind me as I sit down to put my boots on. "I'll do your hair!"

"At least one of us is excited about this," I mumble. "Oh come now, don't be like that," she says as she pulls my hair back in a braid, "It'll be fun, you'll see."

She steps back to finish getting ready as I stand to get my cloak. Some days ago, Akila caught some rare fish, said to be in these waters once every ten years, so he brought a whole mountain of coins back to the hut. There was enough to stock up, get new fishing gear, some Elsweyran skooma sweets (which, by the way, would make a person _high_ if one should take too many), and - on Eize's insisting - new clothes for me. Some everyday clothes, a few fancy looking articles, a new armor, a dagger, and a new bow. They did get stuff for themselves too, but it was mostly for me, and it made me a bit uncomfortable.

"How do I look?"

I turn to Eize and a grin immediately appears on my face. She's wearing an orange silk dress with long white sleeves, green ankle boots, and a crown of light orange flowers in her emerald hair. "You look like spring," I say and she beams. "Really?"

"Yes, absolutely, Eize, you look so beautiful."

She blushes and looks away, swatting my arm jokingly. She drapes her cloak around her, and then turns to me again. "One last thing..." She takes a tiny box of rose powder, and dabs a small amount on her lips with her pinky finger. "Want some?"

"No, I'm good. If you're ready, we can go."

We step out into the hallway just as Akila and Sai step out of their rooms.

Sai is wearing a white cotton shirt with a dark blue vest, and matching pants. He has his satchel over the shoulder, and a grey cloak. He whistles playfully as he looks Eize and me up and down, and she just rolls her eyes with a smile on her face. Akila, on the other hand, makes no sound. He stands up straight, wearing all black, linen shirt and leather pants, combination similar to mine, just in even darker shades. He opens his mouth to say something, then closes them again. And two more times that, all the while keeping his eyes on mine.

"Fucking hell, where have you been all this time?" Sai says to me. "All he does is talk, the silence will be a nice change."

Akila lightly punches Sai's shoulder as he laughs, blushing ever so slightly. "All right, let's head out."

* * *

The walk to the tavern was quiet and nice. People were mingling on the streets, going about their business, meeting their friends, their loved ones; some heading in the same direction, some in the opposite; the air was calm, buzzing in the back of my mind nice and even, no cause for alarm. We arrive in front of a tavern, a one storey building made of dark orange clay and deep scarlet mahogany wood. Above the entrance, hanged a heavy-looking wooden sign with a carving of a winged horse and words " _The Smoking Pegasus Inn"_ above it.

We're greeted by a khajiit at the entrance, who takes a small entrance fee from us. "4 patrons, 4 septims," he purrs, with a smile on his face.

The first time I saw the khajiit people, I was shocked, for I'd never seen anyone like that. Legend has it that a long _long_ time ago, the khajiit were actually overgrown cats, but with time, they adopted some human characteristics. The khajiit of today looked like humans, but some feline features were still present. Pupils of their eyes, for example, it was said that khajiit see better during the night than during the day. They could also sense when natural disasters were approaching, like earthquakes or tidal waves. Slightly elongated, claw-like fingers, short, almost flat noses, and the way they sounded when they were happy or angry, all this contributed to the legend living on.

Another, female, khajiit leads us to a table at the side of the room, bidding us welcome and wishing us a good time. "May I take your orders now, or do you need time to decide?"

"Four stouts for now," Sai says, "we'll let you know for later."

The khajiit nods curtly before leaving.

Akila sits next to me, while Sai and Eize are across from us. I look around the inn.

A bar and storage room in the far corner of the room, large dance floor in the middle, patrons of all race and species dancing and having a good time, a small wooden stage for a three-member band, happily entertaining the guests, several tables with drinking patrons scattered across the room, and two booths for _VIPs,_ currently unoccupied.

The khajiit comes back with our drinks, and a bowl of roasted potatoes.

"We didn't-" I start but she cuts me off, "The one at the bar sent it, pointed and named you specifically. You are Elaria, no?"

"Y-Yes." The confusion in my voice was obvious.

"Then the taters are for you." She purrs before leaving.

All four of us look at the khajiit sitting at the bar, and he takes it as a cue to join us. He gets off his stool and moves towards our table with such grace in his step.

"I must admit, dear friend, I didn't think I'd ever see you in my home country," he purrs teasingly, "especially since I know how fond of ice you are. So, tell me, what brings the thane of all nine Skyrim holds to sandy plains of Elsweyr?"

He doesn't break eye contact, as my newly-found companions turn their eyes on me. My heartbeat speeds up and I already start getting ready to leave abruptly, when he gently raises his hand.

"Did it happen again?" he lowers his voice. "Have you lost your memories again?"

Words hit me like a brick. "Again?"

"Ah." he says sympathetically. "Then, perhaps, allow me to share what I know about you, for it might help."

Eize looks around the table, then scoots her chair closer to Sai. The khajiit takes the empty chair from the next table and positions himself between Eize and me.

"Now then," he looks at me, "Where do your memories cut off this time?"

I let out a sigh before answering, "I have no memory of meeting you. Or becoming a thane. I don't even know what that means, to be completely honest."

"It is a high ranking position, one that a ruler of a city - in Skyrim's case, a jarl - gives to an important person who has, in some way, helped the said city. Skyrim does not have a capital, per se, but instead it has nine holds, nine jarls that rule and govern it, and you, my dear Elaria, have not only helped those jarls in their hour of need, oh no, you helped save all of Skyrim when she was on the brink of destruction. And for that, you were given a title of a thane in all nine holds. Basically, the only person that ranks higher than you is the jarl."

By the time he's done speaking, my mouth is wide open. From the corner of my eye, I see Akila and Sai exchange bewildered looks, while Eize is simply staring at me.

"My name is Ra'arr-Jo, but _you_ call me Jo," he continues, "we met at the College of Winterhold. You came there on one occasion, and at first, we did not get along. But then, I saved your life, and you were determined to pay me back, no matter how much I protested." He lets out a laugh at that.

"How long have we known each other? The last thing I remember is coming to the County of Vesuvia, and that was when I was around 17."

He pops one of the potatoes in his mouth, chews it painfully slowly, then looks at me again. "This was after Vesuvia. We have known each other for five, maybe six years, give or take a few months. You were studying under some doctor there, a reckless man really, and you came to Skyrim to get a certain herb that grows only there. You were supposed to stay for a couple of weeks, you stayed a whole year. Changed everyone's lives during your time there."

"What do you mean?"

"You met some people. Some meant a lot to you," his eyes go to Akila, "some not so much," then to Sai. He turns his eyes to Eize but still speaks to me, "Vorstag, Aela, Marcurio, and myself. We traveled around, took on odd jobs, saved people, fought bandits - we even took down a cult of assassins! We were _your people_. Vorstag, an imperial, Aela, a nord, and Marcurio, a Breton. Each of us fierce in our own way, we learned to work, live, and fight - as one. Then, when dovahkiin needed our help, Vorstag fumbled, got Marcurio and Aela killed, then tried to kill us both when we went to apprehend him and bring him to justice. He would've killed me, had you not been foolish enough to dive in front of the kill blow. Tell me, does the scar on your stomach still tingle when it rains?"

My hand immediately goes to my stomach, and I know he's not lying. How could he know, unless he's seen it.

"You paid off your debt to me that day, and gained a life-long friend and ally."

We stare at each other in silence for a few moments until Sai clears his throat. "Who is dovahkiin?"

"Ah yes," Ra'arr-Jo seemingly snaps out of it, "Dovahkiin is a warrior, foretold by the legends of the old. He's said to be able to use the ancient language of the dragons against them. One who's said will unite the mankind. Of course, even someone so powerful cannot manage without allies. That's where we come in." He gestures at the two of us. "If you find yourself in Skyrim, you'll be recognized and welcomed with open hands, no matter where you go. And if you're in Whiterun, the dovahkiin himself will welcome you. Ilyan is also your friend. Feel free to tell him what has happened to you, he will also offer to help."

"Wait, please," I grabbed his wrist. "You mentioned this is happening to me _again,_ please..."

"The wound on your stomach... It was fatal. We tried everything to save you, but no herb, salve, spell - nothing - worked. We gave you a proper warrior's funeral. Placed you on a pyre, a few people said a few words, like, their favorite memory, or how you contributed to their lives, and then... Ilyan himself set the pyre alight. It was late in the evening, midnight maybe, and in the morning, when the priestess of Whiterun came to collect your ashes to put in the Hall of Warriors, there you were... Dusting yourself off, asking where you were, who she was, what happened... Gave her quite the scare."

"I- I died?"

I feel Akila's hand on my shoulder.

"Yes, my friend, you did. And it was devastating. Seeing you again, well... As happy as _we_ were, the townspeople were whispering about dark magic being used to bring you back, so Ilyan suggested you go back to Vesuvia until things settle down. But then the world almost ended for Skyrim, stopping that took us a while, and in the meantime you got your memories back, so... I suppose it didn't matter anymore."

He stands to leave, and puts his hand over mine, "Elaria, don't dwell on that too much. Search for your memories, they are surely still there, perhaps locked away. You are far more powerful than you think. Good luck, dear friend."

And with that, he leaves the four of us in silence.

After a few quiet moments, Sai downs his drink, then signals the waitress to bring us another round.

"Well then," he looks at each of us as our drinks are delivered, "let's talk."


	6. Elaria

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: blood and gore, mentioning of rape

We spent at least half an hour in silence after Jo left. I don't know what Akila, Eize, and Sai were thinking, but my mind was all over the place.

_I'm a thane. In all of Skyrim. I helped prevent the apocalypse there. I've lost my memories once before. I died. I fucking died._

"And now I'm alive again," I whisper.

"Elaria," I jump in my seat as I feel Akila's hand on my shoulder, "talk to us."

I look around the table to their worried faces. "Are you gonna-" I point at Akila's drink, and before he even responds, I take his glass and down it.

"I died. I died." I look at them again. "I died. I was dead."

"But you're here now," Sai starts.

"I fucking died. And I lost all my memories. And now I can't remember anything again, which means _I fucking died - again._ " I cut him off a bit too harshly. "That's two deaths for me so far. Who's to say it won't be permanent next time?"

Silence falls on the group again. After a few long moments, Eize clears her throat. "So, I have an idea..." She shifts a bit uncomfortably as the rest of us look at her attentively. "I think we should go to Skyrim."

"I was going to suggest the same," Sai adds and Eize nods.

"Right, because if you were there, and you helped all those people, they should want to help you back, as much as they can."

"And it seems some of them owe you quite a bit, so maybe those jarls can call in a few favors, get some mages to figure out how to get your memories back."

"Or maybe some of them can tell you stories of your adventures there, maybe it triggers something in your brain," Akila chimes in. "Yeah, this is a good plan, but we should leave as soon as we can."

"We can go to the market tomorrow, get the necessary stuff for the journey, then head out the next morning, to get the most of daylight."

They start planning this trip, and all I can think of how I should be going alone. I don't want them in danger. Eize is so kind and thoughtful - fierce, but a gentle soul - I don't want any harm coming to her, especially not on my behalf. Akila... Well, I don't know where we stand exactly - his playful flirting, our auras merging, that moment on the beach that we never discussed afterwards... He's important. And Sai, I've only known him for a few hours, but he's their friend, and I don't want anything to happen to someone important to them. I can't let them endanger themselves like this for me.

"You don't even know me," I say abruptly and they all turn to me.

"Elaria," Akila takes my hand gently, but I brush it off, trying to push him away purposefully.

"You don't even know me," I repeat.

"So what the hell are you waiting for," Sai says, taking a sip of his drink, "introduce yourself then."

There's something inviting, almost daring in his eyes as he says it. I reach out with my magic and my aura instantly recoils at the cold of his, a soft _hiss_ going off in my mind. _Water elemental._

I take a deep breath, fumbling with a string on my shirt, and start talking.

* * *

I was born in the Empire of Levia, part of the Evran continent, south east of Vesuvia, west of the Skellige Isles. My country was a peaceful one, no wars with anyone for at least a century. We were a nation of hunters and lumberjacks, being landlocked and all, but we had connections to the rest of the nations on the continent, for trading purposes. I grew up in the Capitol. Our city was divided in districts, or rings.

The outer ring was for the soldiers and medics, both military and medical academy were there. Then the middle ring, with the trade centers and farmers. Wood, tailors and blacksmiths, foods and drinks, game, livestock, handmade goods, alchemy supplies, whatever you could think of - it was there. The upper ring was the living quarters for the middle and lower classes. Housing blocks, shelters for homeless people and children with no parental care, a few inns and taverns, bakeries and schools. And the top ring, for the highborns and royals.

It may sound like a cliche, but it really was a peaceful country, a peaceful Empire.

My mother, Annetta, inherited an Inn, the "Everglow" from her parents, and my father, Yonn, was a lumberjack. Though they weren't my real parents, they gave me everything they could, and more.

They never kept it a secret from me, that they were my adoptive parents. My biological father died months before I was born, and my birth mother died giving birth to me. I had no other family to take care of me, so Annetta - being friends with my birth mother - took me in to raise me. She met Yonn when I was 6 years old, and he immediately took a liking to me, he said I was one of the most clever children he'd ever met. When he wanted to ask Annetta to marry him, he asked me for permission first, he wanted to be sure I was ok with that. He never treated me badly, never even looked at me the wrong way. Whenever I would say I was doing well in my classes, he would beam proudly how his daughter is brilliant. You know not every man would accept to raise someone else's child like his own. Not every woman would, either. That's what made my _parents_ extraordinary.

Anyway, the Emperor died, and since he had no heir, other nobles started competing for the title. Those with more money prevailed, those with less - perished. Then the richest houses formed small armies and torched the Empire from the inside. A civil war broke out, and soon enough, people who were considering each other family were turning on one another, pillaging, raping, killing with no hesitation. The resources were scarce, since no one would trade with us anymore. Schools, houses, medical centers burnt down... Curfews were in place, if you were outside past curfew, you best be sure that's the last time your family has seen you.

The night I left... I was actually at a friends house, visiting her after her father's funeral. The curfew was approaching, so I was rushing back home. I was 12 years old. I remember ducking behind a garbage container, set on fire, because I saw some guards and I got scared, but they didn't see me as they went by on their patrol, so I ran towards our Inn. I heard my mother's screams, and men's laughter, so I just rushed in, without thinking, and I saw something that still haunts me. About a dozen _men_ \- our own soldiers - laughing as they're raping my mother in front of my sister's lifeless body, and in the corner of the room, my father's head on a spear, his body in a pool of blood under a table.

Without thinking, I launched a fireball at one of the soldiers holding my mother, melting his face in his helmet. Coward didn't even have the guts to face her. I was always good with fire spells, and my father taught me how to handle a knife a bit. I could've taken them, had I not been a child. They grabbed me, and my mother tried to fight them, to get them away from me, so they slit her throat. They beat me, pulled at my clothes... 

I remember my own screaming, and yet somehow, it didn't sound like me. Next thing I remember is waking up around dawn, the Inn almost burnt to the ground, a pile of incinerated corpses around me. I was unhurt, physically, but terrified. I heard people shouting, and guards' boots rattling as they were approaching the fire, so I did the first thing I could think of - I ran. I spent the next three or four days getting out of the Capitol, out of Levia, and then the next few months at the outer ridges of the continent, going from one province to another, trying to figure out what to do. I had to beg for food and some coin just so I don't starve. Eventually I figured that the entire continent has gone to hell, and that the best thing I could do is save up all the coin that I can, and buy myself a spot on the next ship leaving for... Anywhere, really. And I did exactly that. Took me a while, but I managed to save up a hefty sum, and boarded the first ship leaving the docks. It was going to Skellige Isles. I thought that was perfect, no one knew me there, I could start a whole new life. It would be good. I spent the first week of the travel crying into my pillow.

We made it to Skellige, Spikeroog to be exact, and from there we were supposed to sail to Novigrad, but halfway there we were caught in a storm, hurricane so strong it capsized our ship. I'm not really sure how I survived. I remember almost giving up a few times, trying to stay afloat... I grabbed onto a barrel floating near me, and I just... Accepted my faith, I suppose. I'm not sure for how long I just floated around, could've been hours, could've been days. I'm not even sure if anyone else from the ship survived, I never ran into them again. I remember seeing land in the distance, using the last of my magic to push myself towards it, then.. Passing out. I woke up in some fisher-men's boat, they spotted me and hauled me out. They wrapped me in a blanket, and were taking me ashore, to a healer or something.

_"Where were you?"_

Velen, Northern Kingdoms. In the middle of a war.

I spent a few days in the village where the fisher-men took me, their healer - herbalist, actually - gave me something for the cold, tended to my injuries. Also managed to teach me how to make a few healing potions and salves, just in case I needed it. After that, I took off towards Novigrad. I heard there was a farm there, looking for new workers, and I thought - why not give it a shot, I might get my life back, in a way. So I headed there. Winter was approaching, and I had no shelter. I was maybe half a day away from Novigrad, I briefly set up my tent to get some food and to get warm. What I didn't know was that all mages and non-humans were not only unwelcome in Novigrad, but also _hunted_. I started a fire using my magic, some nearby hunters saw it, and they chased me deep into the woods. Seven of them versus one me. I ran til my legs started trembling from exhaustion, but my pursuers never gave up. They called me a _witch_ , _an abomination_ , they were going to kill me, for sure. And then, I ran into him.

" _Ran into who?"_

Geralt of Rivia. A witcher from the School of the Wolf. He fought off my pursuers, gave me some food, made sure I was ok, then upon me telling him why I was chased, offered to introduce me to his friends, Yennefer and Triss, both sorceresses. So we set off for Kaer Morhen, a hold in the north where witchers are trained from young age.

Witchers are monster hunters, bred and trained to find, track, and kill any and every monster in existence. They solely work contracts, and they have their own code. There are several schools of teaching. School of the Wolf, Cat, Bear, Viper, Griffin, and Manticore.

There used to be more of them, but over time they were hunted down and killed, because they weren't _human enough_. Young boys would be sent to these schools, and there they'd get trained to hunt, fight, and track. Once they're physically strong enough, they'd undergo a different kind of training - the three trials. _The Trial of the Grasses_ is designed to break down the trainee's body and rebuild it with superior reflexes and cat-like eyes. _The Trial of Dreams_ gives the trainee night vision among other benefits, but also sterilizes them. And the last one, _The Trial of the Mountains_. This one was designed to be more of a witcher _exam_ , and its main purpose was to see if the candidates remember anything from their training _prior_ to the trials. Sometimes, the elixirs and potions were enhanced, or some new mutagens were tested, which would only make matters worse for the trainees. Geralt, for example, was the only boy from his group to survive the trials. And they affected him like no other trainee before. Sure, he does have super reflexes, night vision, and he is incredibly skilled with a sword, but the elixirs and potions made him lose all pigment in his hair. His hair has been ashen white since he was a child. Witchers also don't age like humans do. Their aging process is much slower, Geralt is around a 100 years old, heh.

Anyway. I went to Kaer Morhen with him, met his brothers in arms, Eskel and Lambert, the man who trained them all, Vesemir, and Yennefer and Triss. I liked all of them, more or less. They all trained me in different fields, Triss the most, probably coz she's also really good with fire spells. With time, I excelled at - not to brag, but - everything. Whatever they threw at me, I handled it. And then one day, Geralt sat me down to ask me a question that would change my life. _How would you like to become a witcher?_

See, no one has ever done that before. Women can't be witchers. Some stupid rule, but for a very long time every school followed it. So him asking me this was a big deal. I was excited, nervous, happy, scared.. Everything at once. I wanted to be a witcher, I truly did. I didn't know how the trials would work out, especially because I was a few years older than desired age for that, but then again, I was also a girl, so all that could've factored in. So, I said yes. Over the next few weeks, I was finishing up my final few physical trainings, getting ready for the first trials. Then _Cirilla_ came back.

_"Who's that?"_

Emperor Emhyr var Emreis' daughter, heiress to the throne of Nilfgaard. Apparently, Geralt won her through the _Law of surprise_ , and when she was a child, she was brought to Kaer Morhen to be trained. Then, halfway through her training, she left. For a while, no one knew where, but eventually they found out she went to Vizima, where her father was. Her mother had some special powers, and she inherited them. She could open a portal through time and space, so not just from point A to point B, but point A to point B _in a different time era,_ or _a different realm altogether_. I didn't really mind her, I was actually looking forward to having someone my age there, thought we could be friends.

_"What happened?"_

Everyone started treating me differently. Geralt stopped talking about my training, Eskel and Lambert would refuse to teach me more alchemy, Vesemir... He just kept saying "not now, child". Yennefer didn't really try to hide favoring Ciri, she would openly tell me she has more important things to do than to teach me anything. Triss was the only one to actually show some remorse for not working with me anymore. Geralt would occasionally take me hunting, and even that was on rare occasion, when Ciri wasn't _in the mood for that_. She never did anything to hurt me, at least not purpose, I just... Couldn't stand her. I was envious.

One day, she was practicing opening portals with Yennefer, and she opened one near me, and it sucked me right in before I could even realize what was happening. It was a different realm, dark and cold, storm clouds covering the sky. My eyes adjusted to the darkness in no time, but the temperature was below zero, and it was weakening my aura. There were some creatures, demons, whatever you want to call them, and I didn't have my dagger with me, I had no shield, nothing... I don't know how I survived at first. I noticed time was passing differently, so slowly. I spent _months_ in that hell. After a while, I got used to it, and those creatures were avoiding me. Then one day, a bright green light shines, a portal opens, and Ciri and Geralt walk through. When we got back to Kaer Morhen, only Triss asked me how I was, only Triss hugged me... Only Triss cared. I left not long after that. We had a fight, I lost control of my powers, let my anger - _my pain_ \- consume me, almost killed Geralt. I couldn't stay after that, so I just walked away from them.

Prakra was the nearest to Kaer Morhen, so I went there, but didn't stay for long. I found people there to be too... _Pretentious._ Was there only for a few days, then moved on to Nevivon.

" _The city of pirates?"_

The very one. I met some people there, did some jobs - nothing sketchy, just provided magical protection to sailors during storms - and it was fun. They didn't care where I was from, where I've been, what I'd done in the past, or if I could do magic. As long as I treated them fairly, they'd treat me like so in return. I spent a few months there, saved up some money, and then I saw a notice that the count and countess of Vesuvia were looking for a new court mage, so I set off for Vesuvia next.

Came there, went to the market, bumped into someone... Then woke up in your hut.

* * *

I look up from my glass to see three stunned faces looking at me. Eize's eyes are glistening with tears, Akila's fists are clenching so hard his knuckles turned white, and Sai is just looking at me with his mouth slightly open.

"We're gonna need more drinks," he says, "coz this is gonna be _a long night_."

He waves the waitress down to bring us more drinks before continuing, "Alright. Our turn now."


	7. Akila

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Akila is an original character (oc/mc) created by Eiizera, I simply added a few details to his story (with their permission, of course).
> 
> You can follow them on instagram and twitter ( @eiizera ).  
> They're an incredible artist, make sure you check out their works. :)
> 
> ~This chapter is written from Akila's point of view.

My story is short. You'd think I haven't really lived, hah. But it is what it is, and I'll try to tell it in a way so that, by the end of it, you'll have learned something new about me.

I don't really remember much from my childhood. Probably because it wasn't a happy one, so I tried to black out most of it. My parents were pirates, and they were absent most of the time I was growing up. A pirate ship isn't exactly a place where you want to raise your child. Sometimes only one of them would leave, the other staying with me, but that happened rarely.

I discovered I could do magic when I was very young, although it manifested itself mildly, like being able to move a book closer to me with my mind because I was too lazy to actually get up, heh. I couldn't even begin to imagine doing things I can do now.

I like oolong tea and grilled fish, my favorite flower is rain flower, a white rain lily. Oh, and when I was younger, I tried to fly on a carpet! Failed miserably, but it was a lesson I had to learn, haha. I love making things float, and my goal in life is to fly some day.

I have a familiar, an eagle called Jiyu. I found him when I was 8. I was running around the woods, trying to make some branches levitate, when I heard this soft chirping. Went to investigate, and discovered this teeny tiny birdie with a broken wing. Poor guy must've fallen out of his nest, his mom nowhere in sight. So, naturally, I picked him up gently, and carried him back home. My parents were furious, ordered me to get rid of him. So I built him a shelter behind our house, in a hollow tree trunk. Brought him food and stuff every day, checked on his wing. When he was well enough, instead of just flying away, he decided to stick around. He'd often bring me funny-looking rocks, made my day. Eventually, when my magic got stronger, I started hearing him in my mind. If I'd be looking for something, he'd just "shout" where to find it. I let him fly around, he needs his freedom, but he always comes back. I know he's an animal, but he's seriously my best friend.

Anyway, I mentioned my parents were away a lot. They never hurt me, but I can't say they showed any affection towards me either. I suppose that's one of the reasons I'm not very familiar with the concept of love and romance. One day, I overheard hem talking about a high bounty, so much coin " _it will change our lives._ " My mother asked when my father would be back, to which he said they were both needed with the crew. They agreed that it would only take a few days to get everything taken care of, and that I'd be fine staying with a neighbor, a woman who lived in the village nearby. But our "neighbor" didn't want another mouth to feed, even if it's only for a few days, even if she'd get paid handsomely. She made me sleep with her pigs, in the cold, in the rain. I got pneumonia, almost died. And when my parents came back, they were furious with ME because they thought I'd done something to upset the woman. And on top of everything, there was no treasure, just a set of complex maps leading to it. Which meant they'd be leaving soon again, and they'd be away for even longer.

My father sat me down and told me that I'm " _a big boy now_ " and that I should start taking care of myself. I had no idea what that meant. Later that night, I was pretending to sleep, and I heard my mother say how with each day I'm becoming more and more of a burden, that they can't live up to their pirating glory days because they have _me_ weighing them down. Like I asked to be born.

I cried myself to sleep that night. And in the morning, when I woke up, I was all alone. They locked the door, barred them, leaving me with enough food for a few days only. I cried and I cried, I called for help, but our house was isolated, off the roads, in the woods. I knew no one could hear me, except for the forest animals, which - to a child - is even more terrifying. I kept telling myself, they'll be back, they'll be back tomorrow, they must. And when tomorrow came, I'd repeat the whole thing. My food supply ran out, and I was sure that was it. I'd starve, maybe come back as a ghost and haunt my parents. Heh. Jiyu would bring me dead small animals and toss them to me through the whole in the roof. I was so grateful for him. But one day, he flew away, and hadn't come back. I thought he had abandoned me as well. I spent weeks there, I was so weakened, losing my consciousness, when the door of the house got blown to bits, and this woman I'd never seen before marches in, kneels next to me, and - I swear - starts crying.

Turns out, Jiyu flew away to get help, he was screaming at people that a child needed help, but no one understood him. They all thought of him as a noisy scavenger. It took him days to find someone who actually hears him. Then Nariel picked up on his screaming, and demanded him to show her the way to this dying child. Her hands hovered over my body, faintly glowing, healing my weakened body. I passed out, and when I woke up, I was in a completely different town, in her house. Jiyu was perched on the window, watching over me. She brought me food, gave me new clothes, helped me recover. The first few days she spent apologizing on behalf of my parents, ranting how there are people desperately trying to have children, and yet they can't, and then some idiots throw away a gift they have, proving they didn't deserve it in the first place.

Nariel wasn't human. She was an elf, I think, at least partly, and she mentioned she had a great-great-uncle who was an orc, or something like that. She was an incredibly skilled mage, so she taught me almost everything she knew. She was a strict teacher, pretty demanding, but I'm grateful. It's because of her that I almost mastered the air element. I stayed with her for about seven years. Didn't trust people enough to leave sooner. And to this day I have a fear of closed spaces, that's why I spend most of the day outside.

Towards the end, Nariel was growing more and more nervous, always looking over her shoulder. At first I laughed it off, called her paranoid. But one night, she wakes me up, grabs me for the shoulders and tells me to grab the most essential stuff, things I _absolutely_ need, shove them in a bag, and _run_. " _Run as far away from here as you can, boy_ ," she said. Mentioned witch hunters patrolling, searching and ransacking all the houses nearby, looking for non-humans. Mages, elves, halflings... They didn't care. They'd take you in " _to give a statement,_ " and the next day you'd be burnt at stake.

" _But you're human!"_

A human that can do magic.

So I did what Nariel told me, I grabbed what I needed most, some clean clothes, some food, coin purse, and I ran, Jiyu flying above me the whole time. Nariel said she'd be right behind me, she'd just set the house on fire, so the hunters couldn't use anything to track us down. I reached a hilltop outside the town when I heard the bells, signaling a fire. I turned to see the house on fire, red and orange flames reaching high into the night sky. I was relieved for a second, thinking her plan worked, we'd meet up at the docks, and sail away into the night, and start a new life in some place where they don't burn innocent people at stake. But then I heard Nariel's screams coming from the house. The witch hunters trapped her inside, and set the house on fire, burning her alive. And the whole time they were laughing! I wanted to run back, but Jiyu slammed into me, slapping me with his wings, shrieking how she didn't die so I'd be stupid enough to get caught and killed too. I hated him for that, because he was right. So, I pulled myself together, spent the next few weeks getting as far away from that place as possible. I didn't stop moving until I reached Black Marsh. That's where I met Sai. And after some time, I met Eize in Cyrodiil, and once we earned each other's trust, we decided to travel around together, since all three of us were looking for a fresh start. We traveled back and forth, took on some mercenary jobs, saved up some coin, then set up camp here. Sai still goes to get work in Black Marsh occasionally, while Eize and I hold down the fort here.

So, yeah, that's me. Whoa, do I feel naked now, haha.

* * *

"Akila, I'm sorry," I say, putting my hand next to his on the table.

"Nah, don't be," he laughs. "It was tough, but it made me stronger, made me who I am today."

"Still..."

He gently puts his hand over mine, giving it a light squeeze.

Silence settles around the table again. Eize is looking at her hands crossed in her lap, Sai is trying to get the waitress' attention again, and Akila is just casually leaning back in his chair, eyes closed. Still holding my hand. I look around the room, noticing patrons mingling about, unaware of two life stories revealed, two still in waiting. _But then again, they have stories of their own, and you're unaware of those._ I hate it when this voice is right.

"Ahem," Eize clears her throat, "I would like to go next."


	8. Eize

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eize is an original character (oc/mc) created by Eiizera, I simply added a few details to her story (with their permission, of course).
> 
> You can follow them on instagram and twitter ( @eiizera ).  
> They're an incredible artist, make sure you check out their works. :)
> 
> ~This chapter is written from Eize's point of view.

Uhhh... I don't really know where to start.

_"Try the beginning."_

Funny.

_"I try."_

_"Akila, seriously."_

_"Sorry."_

_Anyway._

I was born into a noble family, in a way, but I never really held a title. My mother was a highborn and my father was a commoner with a bounty on his head, so...

_"Why did he have a bounty on him?"_

He was a pirate for quite some time. He was from Prakra, but at some point he ended up in the Land of the Rising Sun, and that's where he met my mother. We moved a lot for the first few years of my life. We actually ended up in Vesuvia for a bit. When I was seven years old, my parents were assassinated by some hunters, mercenaries, hired by some of my mother's relatives. I guess they'd rather have a dead relative than one married to a commoner. Now when I try to think of it, I barely remember what had happened. My aunt Isao... Well, I called her that. She was actually tasked with protecting my family. I guess she felt guilty that she failed, so she took care of me from then on. She started training me from the earliest of age.

Isao was a soldier, so strong, so fierce. She'd look at you and you'd tremble. And it's not just physical strength, she can also do magic. I've never really seen her at her best with magic, but she did teach me a few neat tricks, and she helped me navigate through my element, once I discovered what it was. Though, she did tell me that she meddled with dark magic. Summoning, necromancy, that kind of stuff. She was at the front line of several wars, and some of the stories she told me... Well, it made me never want to find out exactly what she could do with her powers.

If you asked a nine-year-old me how was it, training with Isao, I'd probably tell you it was hard and challenging, but for a good reason. I needed to become stronger, faster, better. I needed to be able to survive on my own, once Isao was gone. It took me way too long to realize she wasn't training me for that. No. She was training me to be an assassin. A murderer. She wanted me to become stronger, faster, better, so that no one would be able to run away from me. Isao wanted me to end an entire blood line. Those who murdered my parents. She wanted me to put an end to _my own_ family tree. Don't get me wrong, I didn't - and still don't - care about those people, but I wasn't going to hunt them down and commit a mass murder. And she was training me for that, and _only_ that.

My primary element is earth, secondary water. She'd practically torture me with her _"tasks."_ She'd make me cause earthquakes and avalanches, or she'd hurl a boulder twice my size at me, demanding I either stop it or crush it with my mind. Or she'd make me run at the bottom of the lake, carrying a smaller boulder in my arms, because " _that way you're practicing both of your elements, stop whining_."

Anyway, after too many years by her side, I decided it was enough. I wouldn't be her pawn, her _weapon_. So I left. It's been a few years since I've seen her. I don't even know if she's still alive. But maybe that's for the best. After we parted ways, I traveled around a bit, did some mercenary work. Put what Isao taught me to test. Eventually ended up in Cyrodiil, don't really even remember how. I was there for a few months, and I'm going to be honest with you, I liked it there. There was no pressure to be the best, people were just going about their lives, living one day at a time. Actually living. And it was super fun, there were festivals - especially during the summer months - food and drinks, dancing, stargazing, tourneys only the bravest and the strongest knights and soldiers competed in... Complete opposite of everything I'd known up to that point. It was new, it was different, it was tempting.

One day, I took on a job to retrieve an artifact that got stolen. Some rich man, living in a big fancy house. The item - a jade mirror - had been in his family for generations, and one day it just went missing. He'd suspected a maid he fired earlier that week had stolen it, and I was to look into it, and retrieve it. I asked around, eavesdropped a bit, followed a few trails, tracked down the maid. Turns out, she was a cousin or something to some other rich guy, a mobster. He heard she got fired, and he ordered his thugs to steal the mirror. So I observed them a bit, figured out where the mirror was, and I went for it. Turns out, it was easier said than done. Getting in and taking the mirror was actually pretty simple, it was the way out that was near impossible. There were too many guards, he had hunting hounds, too. I remember running as fast as I could, and I thought they'd catch me when they started lowering the front gate, but I slid under it at the last second.

_"If you think the story was exciting so far, Elaria, the best part is just coming."_

_*smack*_

_"Ow! Haha, ok ok, sorry! Carry on."_

I ran through the town in the middle of the night, the guards and the hounds hot on my trail the whole time. I used my magic to make the roads wobble a bit, hoping it would slow them down, but they were persistent. Believe it or not, I tripped, HA! Tripped and fell, face first. But the mirror didn't break. Still on the ground, I turned around, and saw a small army of guards and their hounds - run right past me. Like I wasn't there. They didn't even stop to look, nothing. I sat there on the ground, confused, when I hear this voice from above, " _You gonna sit there til the spell wears off, or what? Get in here!"_ I look up, lo and behold, and I see Akila on a balcony. He'd been staying there for a few weeks, and apparently, my "road waves" disturbed his sleep, so he stepped outside to see what was happening, saw me being chased, saw me trip, _laughed - jerk -_ then used his magic to make me invisible.

_"You can do that?"_

_"Well, actually, I can make the air around you shimmer really fast so it seems like you're invisible."_

_"That's... That's actually quite impressive, takes a lot of skill to do that."_

_"Why, thank you."_

Yeah, he saved my life back there. Then offered to escort me back to my employer's house, and he made sure I got paid, since this guy was complaining how I was showing up at his doorstep in the middle of the night, blah blah blah. Akila just mentioned how we don't have to give the mirror back to him, " _this beauty can fetch a good, a HIGHER, price at any market._ "

After that, we just sort of, stuck together.

* * *

"Eize, I'm sorry you had to go through that," I say, giving her hand a gentle squeeze across the table.

"It's ok, Elaria, it's all in the past, and I think I used my past in the best way I could've. I grew up a lot over the last couple of years, and my past is a part of who I am. Tragic or not."

She lets go of my hand, but sits up straight, staring me down. "It's easier, not to mention safer, to travel in groups. We were all on our own at first, all three of us running from something. Running towards something. And you are no different."

"Yeah," Akila casually drapes his arm over my shoulder, leaning closer to me, "you're with us now. We talked about this, and I've explained everything to Sai here, so in case you're worried about anything - don't be."

"I just don't want you to put your lives on hold or behind, just to help me figure out what happened to me."

"You're not forcing us into anything," Eize speaks up.

"Yeah, stop worrying so much, you're not getting rid of us that easily." Akila's face is now inches away from mine as he speaks. "Sai, your turn now."

Sai's been quiet this whole time, clenching his mug of ale. He looks at me, downs his drink, then stands up. "No," is all he says before tossing a few coins on the table and leaving.

"Hey, man!" Akila shouts after him, "Get back here, you're not being fair!"

"Akila, please," Eize tries to silence him.

"Akila," I put my hand on his, "it's fine. He doesn't have to tell me. He just met me today."

"You... No- We," he makes a triangular hand movement, gesturing at Eize, himself, and Sai's now empty seat, "already knew each other's stories. We already had this talk, so Eize and I just told our story to one new person. But _you_... You told yours to _three_. He's not being fair right now, and the whole thing was his idea in the first place!"

"Akila. Maybe it's too painful for him. I'm not going to force him to relive something that causes him pain. If he ever tells me, I'd like it to be on his own terms."

He just looks at me quietly, then takes a deep breath. "Ok, fine."

"Huh," Eize mumbles standing up from the table, "Sai was right, you _are_ good at taming him."

She giggles as my mouth hangs open. "I-"

"Don't bother, you'd just be giving her ammo to use against you," he says as he puts my cloak over my shoulders. "And besides, she usually knows what's up. She has a nose for these things."

He winks at me and chuckles at my face getting all red and hot. He follows Eize out of the tavern. On my way out, I notice Ra'ar-Jo at the bar, flirting with another khajiit. He spots me over her shoulder and give me a small nod.

As I step outside onto the cool evening Elsweyr air, I nearly jump out of my skin when I feel a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Sai starts to apologize, but I wave him off. "It's fine, it's not your fault I was reckless enough to lower my guard all the way to nothing."

He just nods at me, and an awkward silence falls onto us. He clears his throat, all the while looking at everything but me. "Walk back together?"

"Sure, thanks."

We walk in complete silence for a few minutes. Ahead of us, down the street, I see Akila and Eize walking and chatting, Eize pointing at the stars and the full moon. A few people around us just milling about, enjoying the late evening.

"I didn't mean to be rude," Sai breaks the silence.

"I know, and you don't have to apologize. You don't have to tell me anything if you're not comfortable, I mean we did meet only today-"

"And yet, you told me your story."

"Sai-"

"No, please, just... It's hard for me. What happened to me, it still haunts me. And I know what they've been through - what _you_ 've been through - it's probably haunting as well."

I don't say anything, and we continue towards the hut in silence. Ahead of us, we see Akila and Eize enter the hut, but Sai grabs my wrist gently and pulls me towards the beach.

"I would like us to know each other. And since you did share with me... I would share with you. If you'd listen."

I nod and let him guide me to a group of large rocks at the beach. He lets go of my wrist, and bends to pick up a few smaller stones. He starts throwing them into the oncoming waves as I take a seat on one of the rocks. After a few more moments of silence, he turns to me.

"Alright. This is me."


	9. Sai

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: mention of hate speech, graphic description of death, blood and gore

I was born in the Duchy of Toussaint, the very south of the Continent. My parents both come from rich families, so they always maintained a high status. They own a vineyard there. A few months before I was born, he attended a banquet , and the Duke at the time chocked on some food, and my father happened to be nearest to him, and so he saved his life. To show his gratitude, the Duke awarded my father with a title of a High Lord. A mistake, if you ask me, like his ego needed a more of a boost. My brother and I grew up listening to him boast and brag about something that happened so many years ago, saying how he has great plans for me, his firstborn. Him and the Duke were in talks of betrothal, I was to marry the Duke's eldest daughter, Sylvia Anna, when we both came of age. But that failed to happen for two reasons.

First, Sylvia was cursed. Nothing to physically harm her, but her birth occurred at the wrong time. There's this _Curse of the Black Sun_ , I've only heard some rumors about it. A rather specific solar eclipse would occur, a black Sun casting a shadow upon everything, signaling the return of Lilith, a demon queen, or something like that. Sixty girls born around the same time are said to be her heralds. Lilith's path was to be paved by "sixty women wearing gold crowns, who would fill the river valleys with blood". Many scholars studied this particular phenomenon, this curse, for years. There was even some lunatic hunting down girls born around the eclipse, performing autopsies on them just to learn how to stop Lilith. After a while, it became near-impossible to recognize which girl was actually cursed, so they started tracking down girls and locking them up in a tower cell. That plan suffered, mainly because not a single one of those girls would just sit idly in captivity. Those who were actually cursed bid their time, and when the moment was right, they unleashed their powers, bringing death and chaos to everyone in their path. Those who were innocent prisoners - and keep in mind I think they were all innocent, cursed or not - they would jump off the tower balconies, choosing death over captivity. Those who managed to get away, they'd often seek revenge later on, for how they'd been treated during their life in captivity or exile. These were all just stories, but if more than one person tells you this story, then there has to be something to it, right?

Anyway, Sylvia and her sister, Anna, were always quarreling. Sylvia, as the older child, was often jealous of Anna being at the center of attention, and whenever she'd lash out, her parents would dismiss her, calling her immature. Anna would get all the things she'd ask for, while Sylvia was stuck with the leftovers. My parents changed their mind about the marriage, they didn't want someone like that in their _line_ , so they made an arrangement with the Duke that I marry his younger daughter, Anna, instead. Sylvia and Anna had a fight after that, and then someone brought the curse to the Duke's attention, pointing out when his eldest daughter was born. Shortly after, they sent Sylvia away, banishing her from the duchy in her teen years. Last I checked, she was escorted to the border with Nilfgaard, and that was the last anyone in Toussaint saw of her.

Second reason why that marriage deal was never going to work out is that my _appetites_ lay elsewhere. My parents would force my brother and I to attend banquets and festivities in Beauclair, the Duchy capital. I'd get stuck in pointless, boring conversations about politics and wine. Couldn't wait to get out of there, to get back to our vineyard. To see... Franco. His father was a majordomo at my father's estate, he took care of everything when my parent's would be away. That's how we came to know each other in the first place. We were of same age, and we became friends pretty quickly, and then... That friendship grew into something greater. The first time we kissed, well, it wasn't planned or anything. I'd liked him for a while, I just wasn't sure if he felt the same way, and I never managed to approach the subject. It was a warm, summer, night, it was around midnight, and we were sitting underneath a tree, on a hilltop overlooking the estate. We'd been drinking, talking and laughing, and at one point he looked at me and smiled, and I just... Kissed him. Briefly, for a second, but still... He just stared at me for a bit, and I thought I'd ruined our friendship for good. But then the most beautiful smile graced his face, and he kissed me back. We started seeing each other in secret. It's not illegal in Toussaint, being gay, but it's frowned upon by some people, so it was safer that way. That went on for a while.

One night, we were in his room, and we got carried away, just lost in one another. Suddenly, the doors burst open, and guards came rushing in. They threw him on the ground, started to kick him, beat him, punch him, the whole time dragging me away, making it impossible to get to him. They wouldn't - _couldn't_ \- do anything to me, son of a lord, but Franco... He was nothing, _no one_ to them. They bludgeoned him to death, hit him so hard he passed out, then kept kicking him until they cracked his skull open. My gods, there was so much blood, everywhere, and I... All I could do was scream at them to let him go, to leave us alone... Then to kill me, too. I had lost the one person who truly knew me, who truly loved me, without a secret motive.

The word got out pretty quickly that a lord's son, the Duke's future son-in-law, was having an affair with another man - _a commoner_! The Duke called off the engagement, took away my father's title, making him disown me. My mother was hurt by this, but of course she couldn't show it in public. The last time I went to see them was to actually get my stuff. I was going to leave Toussaint for good. There was nothing for me there anymore. The whole time, my father was shouting obscenities at me. _"You faggot! How could you disrespect me like this?! You, abomination! I gave you everything, and this is how you repay me, you cocksucker!"_ My mother would walk behind him, trying to calm him down, in vain. He told me to get my stuff and leave his estate, or he'd have me arrested. He even fired the majordomo, had him arrested because he " _let his son seduce my boy into sin_ ". So I did as he asked, left without giving him a glance. I did squeeze my mother's shoulder, though, so that she'd know I do not hate her.

I was at the docks, loading my stuff on a boat, when I heard my brother behind me.

_"Leaving already?"_

"Already? Am I to wait for some other shit to happen to me?"

_"Ever so dramatic. Tell me, for I cannot imagine, how did you feel?"_

"What?"

_"When the guards burst through the door. How did you react?"_

Then it dawned on me. It was never revealed where we were caught. The only way he could've known was if...

"You told them."

_"But of course I did, brother dear. Did you seriously think these guards could've figured it out on their own? Please."_

It seemed that Anna and I had one thing in common - jealous siblings.

The sadness, the anger, the heartbreak... The feeling of betrayal, it was so overwhelming. My eyes began to burn with tears as I clutched my hands at my sides. He saw me like that, and he laughed. When I asked why he did it, he scoffed.

_"WHY?! As if you don't know. I got tired of being in your shadow! You're the firstborn, so everything is about you. You're gonna marry the Duke's daughter, you're gonna lead the Duchy, you'll do this, you'll do that... It's sickening."_

"So you had an innocent man killed? Your own brother disowned? If you wanted to trade places, all you had to do was say so, you traitor!"

_"YOU DARE OFFEND ME, YOU FAGGOT?!"_

I felt a sudden rush of adrenaline at his words. I felt the wind from the ocean surge towards us, a cool breeze, calming, but threatening. I pushed the feeling back, trying not to entirely break in front of him. I refused to give him that. But he kept pushing.

_"You and your faggot boyfriend got what you both deserved! I heard you cried like a little bitch, that you begged for death. And I wish they honored your request, you fag-"_

"SHUT UP!"

The next rush of adrenaline was beyond my control. I couldn't control it, and looking back at it now, I didn't want to. I unleashed a wave of energy, pulling back from me, away from the coast, then rushing back towards the city, pulling a tsunami with it. I saw my brother's eyes widen for a second before he sprinted away. City bells rang to sound the alarm, but they didn't have enough time to evacuate. I swear, time slowed down, and I watched that wave crush everything in its path in slow motion. I couldn't stop it. I _didn't want to_.

The adrenaline rush was gone as quickly as it came, and I passed out. I had never used magic before, I didn't even know I could do it. When I woke up a few hours later, the whole Duchy was at its feet, chaos everywhere around me. I didn't even bother looking for anyone, I hoped in one of the surviving boats, and I sailed away towards Morrowind. I spent a few months there, then moved south, to Black Marsh, where I met Akila.

Last I heard about Toussaint, Anna Henrietta rose to power after her fathers death, and she's loved by all her subjects. She's made so many new regulations, passed many new laws to make her subjects' lives better. She fixed everything her father messed up, did everything all her predecessors failed. I hope she doesn't hate me. And I wonder what's with Sylvia. Perhaps Anna let her return...

* * *

He lets out a quiet sob as his shoulders shake gently.

"Sai, I'm so sorry," is all I can say. Nothing else would be good enough. Nothing else would fix anything he went through. "I'm sorry you went through that, and I'm sorry you had to relive it now."

"Hah," he chuckles, "I think I was overdue a good crying session."

We both laugh weakly. "Let's go back before those two break their necks," he nods his head towards the hut, where I can see a quick movement of a curtain, as if someone was in a rush to step away from the window.

As we enter the hut, we notice Akila so not casually leaning on a chair, as Eize is pretending to be drinking water.

"You two would be terrible spies," I say teasingly.

Akila jokingly clutches at his heart.

"What do you mean?" Eize asks, blushing.

"You're holding the glass upside down."

She blushes even more at my words, before smiling sheepishly.

Akila clears his throat, preparing to address the elephant in the room. "Ahem... And?"

Sai and I exchange a look. He nods at me, then looks at Akila and Eize, "And then there were four."


	10. The Market

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recommend listening to this while reading, it helps imagine the whole setting (especially the scarf shopping part) 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAQ5tHu-uEI  
> (Relaxing Arabian Music - Full Moon Night)

A few days after our night out, we set off to the market to get the last of the things we need for our journey before we take off. Nothing too much, some food that can survive for days on the road, alchemy supplies and potion reagents, and couple of spare blades (as Sai would say, " _I'd rather have some extra than lack any_ "). Akila also wanted to see if we could get at least one horse, because a long way was ahead of us, and " _if we can't get four for riding, then I hope we can get at least one to carry our stuff._ " We'd gotten everything except for the horse.

"Elaria," I turn from the fish stand as Sai calls my name, "here, I got you this."

He hands me a piece of cloth tightly wrapped around itself. As a I open it, my eyes go wide for a second. In the cloth is a dagger, extraordinarily crafted, its blade made of silver, with a criss-cross ebony pattern down the middle, the hilt made from beautiful mahogany, golden cord wrapped around it. I trace my finger down the blade's edge, watching a drop of blood appear on my skin. Breathtakingly beautiful and dangerously sharp.

"Sai, I-"

"I saw it, and somehow it "screamed" you. I thought you might like it. Plus, it will probably come in handy."

"I love it, Sai, it's beautiful. Thank you."

He stares at me for a second, then glances somewhere above my shoulder. "You're welcome." He walks towards whatever (whoever?) he saw behind me, but I don't look to see. I can't take my eyes of the dagger.

I startle as I feel a gentle tap on my shoulder, only to find Eize, bashfully smiling at me.

"Sorry, I keep scaring you like that-"

"Haha, no, it's ok. It's really my fault I zoned out..."

"Oh that's beautiful!" She exclaims, pointing at the dagger in my hands.

"Yeah, Sai got it for me." I don't know what to say, so I just smile awkwardly.

"Sai does that sometimes. He's not very good with words, especially if you've just met. But that's his way of showing that he's trying."

I just nod, sheathing my new dagger in the belt strap around my thigh.

"I got the stuff you were looking for. Couple of bottles of dwarven spirit, sewent mushrooms, and a pint of ghoul's blood. Asking for the last one got me the most awkward looks," she giggles, "One woman even asked if I was hunting for vampires."

I don't say anything, I just take the items from her, but I know she has questions about that. She's inquisitive like that.

"Is there an alchemy lab nearby that I could use?"

She looks around, scanning the market. "Mmmmm I think I see one over there. Ask the merchant if he'll let you use it, and who knows, maybe you find more weird ingredients!"

Her laughter echoes as she walks away, leaving me on my own.

I've been to the market a few times now that I can find my way around, so I head in the direction she pointed me. The merchant was very kind, and he wholeheartedly let me use his lab, offering more ingredients for whatever it was I was making. He was excited to have run into another alchemist. I thanked him, offering a few gold coins, which he refused.

I pour the spirit in the cauldron, bringing it to simmer over low flame, in the meantime grinding the mushrooms into dust using mortar and pestle. Once the two were combined, I had to wait a few minutes for it to start bubbling, before adding the ghoul's blood. The color changed immediately, from emerald green, over light brown, to pitch black. And the smell - _oh, the smell_ \- was terrible. Using a pipette, I filled a couple of vials with the liquid, sealing them carefully. _Why are you making that? You know none of you can drink that, right?_

I shake my head, making the voice go away. Next on the list, _Swallow_ and _Cat_. I will modify them. Witcher potions are lethal to ordinary humans, but Swallow is the best healing potion there is, and Cat can be useful when you need to see in the dark. So for the first one, instead of using drowner brain, I'll use drowner blood, it's weaker, but still has healing purposes. _Dwarven spirit, celandine petals, aaannnd... Done!_ I pour that into vials too, focusing my attention to Cat now. _Mix water essence with berbercane fruit, bring to simmer, add the spirit, take off heat... Done._

I divide the vials into four equal piles, putting one in my satchel. I thank the merchant once more, before meeting up with my new companions at the town square.

"Here, take these." They all accept them without question. "I made them by witcher formulas. Now, those would be lethal for regular people, so I've modified the recipes. They will still do what they're suppose to, but without killing us."

"Great," Akila says, "now, what are they?"

I chuckle before explaining. "The orange one is called Swallow, it's a healing potion, it will heal your injuries such as bruising, internal bleeding up to certain level, broken bones, and stuff like that. But it won't help if the wound is fatal. The gray one is Cat, it will help you see in the dark for some time, but it won't last all night for example. It's especially useful when exploring caves."

"And the black one?" Eize chimes in.

"That is Black blood. It's useful when fighting vampires and necrophages. You drink it, and it makes your blood poisonous, so if a vampire bites you, it harms them. Gives you a fighting chance. Oh, also, when fighting vampires - any monster for that matter - silver blade is the way to go. Doesn't matter if it's a dagger, a sabre, an arrow - as long as it's silver."

Their eyes lock onto mine like I just told them the world is ending. Sai clears his throat first, "Ahem, right... Well, thanks for these. And the lesson. Hopefully we don't need any of 'em."

"Hah, wishful thinking," Akila laughs briefly. A moment falls on us as we contemplate what to do next. "Right, do we have everything?"

"Not yet, I saw a weapons stand on the other end, and now I want to go see if they have silver arrows," Eize says.

Sai laughs before adding, "I'll go with you. My weapon of choice is a staff, but I want to see if mine can be improved somehow. Maybe with some silver." He winks with a smile.

"Ok so we'll meet you two here in an hour or so, if that's ok?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna go look for a new scarf anyway, so see you later," Akila waves the two of them off. "Wanna come with me?"

"Oh, I- I can just go back, or wait her-"

But he's already grabbed my hand, and he's dragging me in the opposite direction.

We reach what seems like a small hut on the east end of the market. The air around us is full of different smells clashing. Cinnamon, myrrh, mint, lemon grass... _Moon sugar. Someone nearby is making skooma._ Akila greets the khajiit woman, who ushers us in with a big smile on her face. "Welcome, friends, welcome," she purrs at us, "We have a wide selection here, guaranteed you'll find whatever it is you are looking for." Soft music echoes around us, an orchestra of string instruments, enhancing the vibe of the whole place. Not just the hut, or the market... The whole Elsweyr.

As we enter the hut, the whole room expands before my eyes. Interior is at least five times bigger, dozens of stands and racks with different fabrics hanging from them, merchants and customers mingling around. "Wow," I saw in one breath.

I turn to Akila, and see him smiling at me. "I thought you might like it." He's still holding my hand. "Come on, let's look around."

We spend some time going from one stand to another, and he eventually buys two beautiful scarves, one dark brown with golden lining, the other light blue with silver-threaded embroidery. Both suit him perfectly. He catches me staring at him.

"See something you like?" That sly smile is back on his face, and I roll my eyes at him as I turn away, unable to hide my own grin.

He circles around me so that I have to face him again, "I'm not gonna stop asking until the answer is 'yes' so you might as well just say it now."

I playfully smack his arm, earning an echoing laugh from him. We walk around some more, until I realize we've entered some sort of scarf maze. Dozens upon dozens of scarves and fabrics hang from the ceiling, making it difficult to remember which way we came from.

"Ummm Akila, where-" But he's not by my side anymore. "Where are _you_?"

I look around, but I can no longer see any merchants, or stands, I'm completely surrounded by scarves. I feel a cool breeze behind me, just as a chuckle tickles the back of my mind.

"Ok, stop it," I try to sound angry, but I fail. I know he can hear me laugh.

I focus my aura on scanning my surrounding, when I spot silver strings on my left. "Akila?" I say as I swat the fabrics away as I proceed forward. No reply.

"Akila!" Nothing.

A dark thought crosses my mind that something is wrong, that something happened to him, but that silver string appears again. " _I'm fine."_

"Akila, seriously now..."

" _Find me."_

"Oh, I'm gonna find you, and then-"

A hand grips my forearm, spinning me around, and then another hand finds my waist, pushing me gently backwards, deeper into the sea of swaying fabrics. He towers above me, his face inches away from mine, two stormy eyes staring into mine. He opens his mouth, and a husky, almost erotic, whisper comes out, "And then what?"

My voice dies in my throat, and I just let out a gasp, which, I think, is what he wanted. His arm snakes around my waist, pulling me closer to him, his other hand traveling up to my face. He gently strokes my cheek with his thumb, his eyes never leaving mine.

"That day," the depth of his voice sends my mind spiraling, "Eize interrupted us. But I haven't forgotten, Elaria, I haven't. You looked so beautiful, like the heart of a volcano is in you, your eyes, your hair, your face- Everything was reflecting that flame, I couldn't stop thinking about that for days after. I wish she waited a few more minutes to show up, I wish I got to kiss you then, it's all I can think of lately..."

He trails off, and I can practically see his heart beat from how close we are. He licks his lips as his eyes dart towards mine. I can barely contain how much I want his lips on mine, and I see he wants it too, as he leans down.

But the kiss never comes.

Instead, a loud shriek fills the air, making the entire building shake.

"Are you _kidding me?!_ " he growls in anger as the ruckus from outside grows. We head towards the door, people's screaming growing louder with each step. The shriek is back again, this time louder, more intense. The ceiling above the door collapses, bringing half of the structure down. We now have a good view of the town square. Several bloodied bodies lay scattered around, people running away in panic, a few market stands have been completely destroyed, the goods sent flying all over the street, and in the middle of the square stands a woman.

A naked woman, with sharp teeth and long claws, blood dripping from her mouth down her neck and torso.

"A bruxa," I say and I'm already running towards her. "Akila, get the civilians away!"

"I can help y-"

"GET THE CIVILIANS AWAY!" I don't have time to explain this.

She turns towards some merchants hiding behind a pile of boxes. She opens her mouth, emitting another ear-piercing shriek, sending the people and boxes flying. Without thinking, I launch a set of fireballs at her. She shrieks and hisses, but now at least she won't attack the civilians. She moves with incredible speed, slamming her entire body into mine, sending us both tumbling to the ground. She aims her claws for my throat, but I lift my arm, blocking her only temporarily. She shrieks right into my face, and the pain is so intense that I'm convinced she's cracked my head open.

She gets up from me, turning her attention back to the terrified people. I reach for my satchel, only to feel wet pieces of glass. Shit. All of my potions were broken from the fall.

"Which one?!!" I hear a voice from behind. _Sai._

"Black..." I can barely speak, I'm still disoriented, but he hears me. I roll over, so that I'm face down, and I try crawling towards him as he rolls the potion vial towards me. It's within my reach when I feel a shift of energy behind me. She slams into me again, pushing my hand down into the ground, right as I grabbed the vial. I feel the glass dig into my palm as the vial shatters. She shrieks again, but then-

"Get away from her, you freak!" Eize stands tall, sending a silver arrow fly, right in the bruxa's shoulder. She staggers backwards, screaming in pain as silver burns her. I scramble to my feet somehow, and she screams again, and melts into the air. I can still feel her there, I can sense her energy, the darkness radiating from her. Eize only slowed her down.

"Eize, stand back, get the people away..."

I look at my palm, and I do the only thing I can think of. I bring it to my mouth, and a taste of bitter spirit, ghoul blood mixed with my own fills it. I shudder at the taste of it all, uncertain of the potion's effect. The wind shifts on my left, and I know she's there, preparing to lunge. One word echoes in my mind. _Yrden._

One of the witchers' sigils, spells, signs - whatever you want to call it - it provides a runed barrier, in which no invisibility spell and/or ability works. Extremely effective against wraiths and bruxae, who can make themselves invisible whenever convenient.

I slam my hand into the ground as I think of the word, and I feel a wave of energy rush down my arm onto the surface. A set of runes appears, forming a wide circle around me, glowing a faint purple light. Right as I straighten up, I sense her leap. As soon as she crosses the barrier, she's visible again, rage and hunger burning in her eyes. The wound on her shoulder is bleeding, not enough to kill her, but enough to slow her down. The problem with bruxae is that, even when they're slow, they're still dangerous.

She claws at me, tearing my armor at the neck right open, the leather showing no resistance at her claws. _Quen._ Another witcher sign. It's invisible, but I feel a warm wave of energy forming around my skin, providing a shield. I send a few fireballs at her again as she jump at me once more. The fire burns her, but she pushes forward, knocking me to the ground, breaking my shield. She shrieks again as Eize fires several more arrows into her back, but she stays on me. She swats my arm away, making my flames go above her, and she digs her fangs into my neck.

I scream, only to have her join me as she loosens her grip on me. I open my eyes, tearing up now, to see a barrage of Eize's arrows hitting her. I feel the surge of cool energy coming from Akila, who, together with Sai, is ushering people away from the market. They're securing the perimeter as the sound of guards' boots echoes in the distance. All the while the bruxa is still towering above me, screaming in agony. Only, she's now clutching at her throat. _It worked._

I try twisting my body underneath her, but she pins me down, hissing through her fangs. _I can't let her kill me. I won't let her kill me._ By my count, Eize is out of arrows by now, at least silver ones- _SILVER. My dagger!_ My arm goes to my thigh, reaching for my dagger - which is not there. _SONOFABITCH! It must've fallen off my thigh when she knocked me down the first time._ As much as I can, I try looking for it, and I spot it only a few feet away from me. I reach out, but my movement gets her attention, and she shrieks into my face again. The sound almost makes me faint. _I know she won't bite me again. But that doesn't stop her from tearing me to pieces._

Out of nowhere, I see the silver string, and the cool breeze shifts as Akila slams into her, pushing her off of me to the ground. She shifts her attention to him, readying her claws. I scramble on all four, quickly snatching my dagger. She's on him, her fangs ready.

"Oh no you won't, you bitch!"

I push her body into the ground, slamming my dagger into her chest down to the hilt. She screams and twitches and claws at me, tearing at my armor. I take my dagger out, then jam it down again, and again, and again. Until she stops twitching.

The market is quiet. I can hear the buzzing in the air. I can hear my own blood rushing though my veins, full of adrenaline. I'm dizzy, and I realize just how much only when I stagger and fall to my knees.

"Hey hey hey, Elaria!" Eize's worried face is in my line of sight.

I feel someone's arms around me, and even before looking, I know it's Akila. "She needs a medic! NOW!"

"I'm ok, I just need... Rest. I'm... I-"

But the darkness takes over before I can even finish the sentence.

* * *

My eyes fly open. Nighttime.

The room is dark, only a dim light in the corner. A single bed and a single nightstand next to it. The window is on my left, open, letting the cool summer breeze inside.

"I'm having a weird flashback," I mumble for myself just as the door open and Sai walks in.

"Sai!"

"Shhhhh, it's ok, I'm here." He says as he approaches my bed.

"What happened? Where am I? Akila?"

He gently sits on the edge of my bed, and pats my knee. "You're in the medical center of Elsweyr, you were injured by that thing. You lost a lot of blood. Akila is fine, he just had a few bruises from the impact, but that's it. Eize is fine too, I sent the two of them back to the hut to get some rest."

I breathe a sigh of relief. "Were you hurt?"

"I'm perfectly fine, don't worry. I was more freaked out. What was that thing?"

"A bruxa. A vampire of sorts."

"Ah. And your potion worked I suppose, she seemed in pain after she bit you."

My hand goes up to my neck, all patched up and bandaged now. "Yeah, I wasn't sure it would work like that, but given the circumstances..."

He just looks at me.

"What is it?"

"I can't figure you out."

I don't know what to make of his words, so I don't say anything.

"I like to think I'm good at reading people. The moment I met Akila, I knew we'd get along. He's free spirited, life wasn't easy for him as a child, so now as an adult, he's living it to the fullest. Eize, almost the same case. She's been hurt by those she trusted before, so it takes her a while to open up, but when she does - she's loyal to the end. I knew that, if I could earn her trust, I'd have a friend for life."

He gets up and goes to the window. Without looking back at me, he continues talking.

"But you, Elaria, you're and enigma. Pure definition of it. I study you, and just when I think I've figured you out-," he turns to me, "-you manage to show me how wrong I am."

"Sai, I don't understand-"

"How did you know you should prepare a potion that would be useful against vampires, just before a vampire actually attacked?"

"What are you implying, Sai?"

"Are you clairvoyant? Did you somehow _see_ this happening?"

"What?! No! Don't be ridiculous, I-"

"Then how did you know? Tell me."

"Ok, first of all, I don't have to tell you anything. Second of all, I want you to leave."

He approaches my bed and towers above me, "I want you to tell me how you knew. Now."

"And I want you to leave. Now!"

He just stares at me defiantly, until a nurse opens the door. "Is everything alright here?"

"Yes, I was just saying goodbye to my friend here," he says without taking his eyes off of me. "You should get some rest, Elaria. Sleep well."

And with that, I'm left alone with my thoughts again.


	11. The Reading

Moonlight shines upon the brick roads of Oxenfurt, heart of Redania. It's almost midnight, three hooded figures among the few drunkards roaming around, either singing off-key or vomiting in the nearest bush.

"Lightweight," says one of them, a man, pushing away a drunkard who stumbled in their path. His voice is deep and smooth. The other two remain silent.

They make their way towards an inn at the main square. It's a small inn, won't get too crowded, which works in their favor, but it's at the main square, and Redanian guards tend to visit often.

"Let's make this quick," says another, his voice husky, almost coarse whisper in the night.

"Fine by me," chimes in the third one, a woman, her voice smooth and melodic. "I have no love for Redanian guards."

A sign above the door says " _The Alchemy_ ".

Even though it's almost closing time, the place is still packed. All three tables in the front occupied, patrons singing and slamming their tankards on the table's surface, in attempt to match the band's rhythm. In the middle of the room is a large, long desk, and a rowdy group of people is having a debate on gwent, a popular card game. On the left are the bar and a small impromptu stage, and on the opposite side of the room is a small table, a blind, elderly woman sitting at it.

The group heads towards her, taking their hoods off.

A man with long, silver hair, and golden snake-like eyes sits across the woman. The other man, with short black hair, golden snake-like eyes, and a large scar across his right cheek, he stands behind the woman, his back against the wall, observing the room. The redhead woman stands behind the silver-haired man, her brown eyes focused on the woman at the table.

"Well," the elderly woman starts, her voice barely above whisper, "you took your sweet time getting here."

"We came as fast as we could," silver-haired man responds, "you did summon us last minute..."

"Oh, and not like you have a sorceress who can open a portal..."

"I'm not risking Triss being captured over a last minute call, lady. Why did you summon us? What do you want from us?"

"Now, now, _Butcher_ ," the woman almost hisses at him, "that is no way to talk to someone who can help you..."

"And what could you possibly help us with?"

"Not you, all of you," she leans forward to point at his chest, " _YOU_ , as in, just you."

"I don't have time for this," the man says, visibly annoyed, getting up and heading for the door.

He's two steps away from being out, when the woman says quietly, but loudly enough for him to hear, "I know where the flame is."

He stops in his tracks.

The man standing behind the woman stands straighter, one step closer to the woman. Triss slams her hand on the table angrily, earning a few questioning stares from the other guests.

" _Do not even THINK it is funny to jest with stuff like that, I do not care how many guards are nearby, you mention her again, I will burn your face off,"_ she hisses through her teeth.

"Do no bring her up again. Let her rest in peace," says the man behind her.

The silver-haired man slowly turns towards her again, his eyes glowing in the dim room.

"Oh Eskel, my dear boy," the woman chuckles, "for someone to rest in peace, they have to be _dead_ first."

Triss stands up straight, looking at the woman, her mouth slightly parted open, "What are you saying?"

"I''m saying," she _looks_ at the silver-haired man with her glassy eyes, "your daughter is very much alive, _White Wolf_."

He all but sprints to the table, unsheathing his steel sword from his back. "Talk," he practically growls at the woman.

The woman smiles, and pulls a crystal ball along a bag of branches and bones from underneath her cloak. She puts the ball in the middle of the table, strings of silver smoke manifesting immediately. She shakes the branches in her hands, drops them on the table, then starts mumbling something to herself. Eskel and Triss exchange a look.

"What are you doing? Talk!"

"Your old friend Vesemir may have tolerated that tone and attitude, but I sure as hell won't, Geralt. Interrupt me again, you will never find her."

Geralt clenches his fists, but doesn't interrupt anymore.

She repeats the ritual with sticks and crystals a few more times, until her ball changes color from silver to red. Red smoke with thin black tendrils, swirling over themselves. She closes her eyes, her hand hovering slightly above the balls. She chants something in an unknown language, and after a few seconds, her eyes start glowing red. Her voice is still a whisper, but somehow deeper, like she's speaking through water.

"Beware of the darkness of dragons,

beware of the stalker of dreams,

beware of the talons of power and fire,

beware of the one who's not what she seems.

Something is coming to shake the earth.

Something is coming to scorch the ground.

 _Mortem effugere nemo_ potest."

Her eye return back to normal, and she leans back in her chair, taking quick, shallow breaths. No one says anything.

"The prophecy... I could only see that, but not her. She was gone, in the realm of Death... But she resurfaced."

"Where?" Geralt's question comes like rapid fire. "Where is she? I have to- I have to find her..."

"South. But by the time you get there, she'll be long gone."

"Toussaint?" Triss chimes in.

The lady just shakes her head. "South. Not on this continent."

Geralt fidgets in his seat. "But, I saw her- Triss, we saw her _die._ How- How can she...?"

"You forgot who you made her with," the lady answers, "she is part you, but she is also part _Her_. "

She leans forward to take Geralt's hand.

"No illness will take her. No curse, no spell, no knife. She will truly die only when she gives a life. Like her mother before her, and hers before, and so on."

Geralt says nothing, ignoring Triss' hand on his shoulder. Eskel lets out a deep breath, unsure what to say.

"Is there anything else you can tell me?" He breaks the silence after a few minutes. "Will I ever see her again?"

"You will, do not worry about that. But it will not be as you imagine. If you think she'll leap into your arms and pretend you didn't cast her away... Think again. She has been through hell, hell you cannot even imagine."

"All I did was follow-"

"- _Her_ instructions, yes, you keep repeating that. Are you trying to convince people around you, or yourself?"

"Who are you?" Eskel interrupts. "How do you know all this? And don't just say the shiny ball showed you."

"You witchers...." the woman hisses at him, "I'm a seer, boy, in case that wasn't obvious enough. I _see_ things."

She gets up, placing a hand on Geralt's shoulder as she passes by him. He looks up at her, just as she speaks.

"Before she became fire, she was water - quenching the thirst of every dying creature. She gave and gave, gave her all, until she turned from sea to desert. But, instead of dying of the heat, the sadness, the heartache - she took all of her pain, and from her own ashes, she became fire. All she ever wanted was to protect the world from the monsters, but the monsters got the chance to turn her to their side."

She gives him a sad smile. "If the world chooses to become her enemy, she will fight just as she always has - with everything she's got. And best be sure, _no one_ shall escape Death."

And then she leaves them. They sit there, in a full, rowdy inn - in complete silence.


	12. Beltane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This would go well with the festival scenes, I hope you enjoy :)
> 
> The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - The Nightingale  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIH2t1GcALQ  
> The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Back on the Path  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2p3fb0G2Ok  
> The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Blood and Wine) - The Musty Scent of Fresh Pâté  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMZ1pZEc0os  
> The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt OST - Cloak and Dagger  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-b4uTIvvC4  
> The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Soundtrack - Unreleased Gwent/Tavern Track  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WeE9AisvMY
> 
> For the dance scene:  
> The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Merchants of Novigrad  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-ER61uE_o

We've been on the road for about 10 weeks now.

We crossed from Elsweyr to Cyrodiil without even realizing it - we got caught in a sand storm. It lasted almost a whole week, and we spent about three days going in circles somehow. But, we made it. Then we spent some time in the Imperial Capitol. We did some mercenary jobs, mostly collecting debt from people, but we mostly stayed because Eize didn't want to miss the Beltane festival.

It was held every year , and it would mark the start of the summer months. Farmers, hunters, and fishermen would bring out their goods to the markets, there would be food vendors, bakers and pastry chefs, all kinds of drinks - from Nord ale to Toussaint wine - and, of course, there would be bards and minstrels from all over Tamriel. The way Eize talked about it, it was indeed magical, and " _it would rather be a shame if we missed it, ESPECIALLY since we're here already_." So we stayed.

We were staying at an inn called "Empress' Kiss," an upscale - really fancy-looking - inn, with affordable prices. They only had three rooms available - two single bed, and one queen sized bed - so I shared with Eize. Although she, of course, insisted that I share with Akila. Sai made no comments. Sai hasn't really spoken much on the trip - at least not to me directly - since the market attack. When I told Akila about how Sai attempted to interrogate me, he was furious. I'd never seen him that angry before. He confronted Sai, they argued, and then Akila told him that, for all he cared, Sai didn't even have to come along. They didn't talk for a week after that.

But, with Eize and myself not wanting to break the group, they had to put that aside for now. So now, we were civil with each other, _please_ and _thank you_ and all that. But we were both aware that there was no friendship forming there. Still, I didn't want to dwell on that too much, not with Eize's festival approaching.

It was a warm night, cool but pleasant breeze in the air. The main square was decorated with flowers and ribbons in _all_ the colors, lanterns illuminating the side alleys, market stands, and the large stage in the center of the square. A large crowd had already gathered there, watching the band perform, dancing and singing, as well as enjoying the ale.

I couldn't help but smile as I watched Eize braid a flower crown into her hair. She's only a few years younger than me, but seeing her this excited makes her look like a small child. And I mean this in a good way. She hasn't had an easy life so far, so it's heartwarming to see her this relaxed and excited. Her light green dress matches her emerald hair.

"How do I look?" she asks, spinning in front of me so her dress looks like a blooming flower. "I like it when the dress does the thing, you know...?"

She makes a wavy gesture with her hand, suggesting at the rims of her dress. I chuckle.

"I know. You look lovely, Eize. Green is truly your color."

She beams at me. She insisted I wore a dress too. I didn't have the heart to turn her down, but I opted for something with sleeves. A simple, brown dress with a yellow belt. It was nothing fancy, but Eize approved. Seeing her smile made me happy. With time, I'd grown very fond of her, one could say I even saw her as a little sister.

She all but drags me out of the inn into the crowded street.

"Where are we headed?"

"Nowhere in particular," she chirps happily, "I thought we'd look around a bit, then we can go watch the minstrels."

She navigates the crowded street like a professional, like that is all she does. We make a few short stops to get some cotton candy, some candied apricots, and some ale.

"Are Akila and Sai meeting us later?" I ask, trying to sound as casual as possible.

Akila and I haven't talked about the _thing_. Again. And while we were on the road, there wasn't a good chance, plus we never had any privacy.

Eize gives me a sly smile. "Sai said he's meeting some old friends, but Akila might be around somewhere. Why? Interested in seeing him?"

She wiggles her eyebrows, then bursts into laughter as I almost choke on an apricot slice.

"I'm going back to the inn."

"Noooo come on!" she links her arm through mine. "I'm sorry I tease you about it, but it's just so cute how you blush!"

"Eize!"

"Ha! Sorry!" she turns her head away, but I can still feel her tremble from laughing. "Look, I don't know why it's taking you two so long, I mean, I think it's obvious you two like each other..."

"So this festival... Tell me about it." I try to sound assertive, to make her change the topic. And she does. But she gives me _the look_ first.

"Basically, it's to celebrate a fruitful and lucrative season. Notice the stands with all natural produce, from food, over cosmetics, to souvenirs. People come to trade, sell, meet and party. I've attended once already, I sold some lucky charms. My stand was right over there," she points where a group of bakers are handing out their freshly baked goods, "I made some good coin, too!"

She tugs my sleeve, "And over there, see how there are guards? That's where they keep the fireworks."

I look at a sheltered unit, separated from the rest of the venue by a fence and a unit of guards.

"At midnight, there's gonna be fireworks, to mark the beginning of Beltane festival. It is said that the festival itself has a long history, marking the upcoming arrival of summer. The name, roughly translated, means "bright fire" and there are usually large pyres involved. But those are arranged at the outskirts of the city, especially the Capitol. Here, they'll just do the fireworks, and then-"

She keeps on talking, but I don't really listen. My mind starts racing, one name echoing in my mind. _Cirilla_. It's Ciri's birthday.

I have no idea where she is, and yet she still haunts me.

Eize notices I'm not paying attention, so she clears her throat loudly. I blink quickly, snapping out of it. "Sorry, Eize, my mind wandered..."

"It's ok, no worries. I'll just repeat what I said," she grins at me, "So, according to the legend, at midnight, when the pyres are set alight, two lovers can be bound-"

"Bound?"

She laughs at my confused tone. "Yeah, like, when they kiss, their hearts become one, or something like that."

She wiggles her eyebrows at me, as she takes a couple of steps away.

"Eize?" I take a step towards her, when a silver string appears in the back of my mind. She winks at me before disappearing into the crowd. _Subtle, Eize, very_ _subtle_.

I take a deep breath before turning around, finding Akila right in front of me. _Shirtless._ Well, he has a vest on, but no shirt. Which is enough for me to stare. _Not so subtly._

He stares at me for a few seconds, before asking, "See something you like?"

"No, because you're blocking the view." _Where did that come from?_

His mouth hangs open for a second, and then his shocked expression is replaced with laughter. He offers me his hand. "Go for a walk with me?"

We walk around in silence for a bit, him leading the way towards the large open space, designed to be a dance floor. But, before we even get to it, he stops, then faces me.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm... I'm ok, honestly. No headaches - no aches in general - and my bruxa wounds healed, so... I'm good. You?"

He smiles lazily, "I'm great, but don't worry about me."

"You worry about me, though."

"Yes, but you already stole my heart, and I am yet to steal yours," he winks and I lose all ability to speak.

He's still smiling as he looks at the podium. He turns to me again, eyeing me warily. His face reddens ever so slightly as he speaks.

"Listen, ummm... Before Eize pops up from somewhere, or a random naked vampire attacks again..."

I look at him, trying to figure out how that sentence ends, when he catches me off guard.

He pulls me towards him, his hands locking around my waist, his lips crashing hard against mine. My breath catches as he gently bites my lower lip, setting my mind on fire. My body responds on its own, my hands sliding up his torso to his neck, my fingers tangling in his hair. A low growl escapes him and he grips my waist tightly as I kiss him back hungrily. His lips are soft against mine, and I can taste the mulled wine as his tongue teases mine.

"Hoooo boy, it ain't midnight yet!" someone shouts passing by, and we break apart, both in giggles. My face is on fire as he shouts back, "Oh don't you worry, I'll kiss her at midnight again!"

Several people cheer him on as he kisses the top of my head.

"Dance with me." The music changes to a slower pace just as he says that.

He leads me to the podium where several other couples are dancing. He puts his left arm around my waist, his right one going behind his back, and I do the same. At first, we spin around, before taking a few steps left and right. He takes my hand in his, and lifts it above my head, making an arch, all the while gently spinning me so I go under it. He spins me so his chest is now pressed against my back, his hot breath tickling my neck. He plants a soft kiss on my shoulder, sending shivers down my spine. I spin a few more times, before facing him the final time, just as the music comes to a halt.

Purple, red, and orange colors shine across the night sky, leaving a smokey trace in the air as they dissipate. People cheer, sing, drink, and kiss around us, and he just looks at me.

His gaze softens, his hand gently caressing my face. He twines his fingers with mine as he leans in, his lips gently touching mine. It's a soft kiss, not like before, and yet, I feel as if this one would be more important.

"I don't have much to give you," he says, his voice barely above a whisper as he rests his forehead against mine, "but I have a heart, and it is entirely yours."

My eyes lock onto his, a storm brewing inside them, unable to say anything. But I don't think he needs any words right now.

When we part, he looks around, his gaze focusing on something behind me. I slowly turn around, and anger rises in me.

A slim, ashen-haired young woman stands in front of us, her golden cat-like eyes glistening in the light of the fireworks.

She gives a weak smile before addressing me.

" _Hello, Eli."_


End file.
